Miami County sheriff seeks more patrol cars, jail staff and a new mobile command center as software costs rise

The Miami County sheriff's office asked county commissioners on Wednesday to approve additional funding for patrol vehicles, three more jail positions and a mobile command center, and warned that software and maintenance contracts are driving a large portion of the department's 2026 requested increase.

Sheriff Frank Kelly told commissioners the department is requesting three more jail positions and new patrol staffing, and said public safety will require more resources as the county grows. "Public safety is number 1 and it's going to cost money to provide those services," Kelly said.

The sheriff's office said its fleet and equipment needs are the largest recurring expense after payroll. Lucas Mellinger, assistant county administrator, walked commissioners through budget cover sheets and told the panel how the finance team annotated department submittals. "Yellow is kinda you can look at that line," Mellinger said, describing the packet color coding used to flag lines for review.

The sheriff and jail officials described the county fleet and repair history. The office reports roughly 40–43 vehicles in total, about 18 marked patrol units in current frontline rotation and a number of high‑mileage vehicles used as spares. Sheriff Kelly said several patrol vehicles are reaching 150,000–190,000 miles and that heavy mileage has led to repeated major repairs: "We've replaced two…