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Brown County commissioners approve cargo-trailer purchase; sheriff outlines employee equipment finance plan
Summary
The Brown County Commissioners approved a $5,102.50 purchase of a cargo trailer for the sheriff’s department and heard a presentation from the sheriff about a proposed payroll-deduction program to finance duty weapons and equipment for deputies. The board also reviewed recent hires for the sheriff’s office.
Brown County commissioners on a regular meeting approved the sheriff’s request to buy a 6-by-12 Enos cargo trailer for $5,102.50 and heard the sheriff describe plans for a county payroll-deduction program to let deputies finance duty weapons and specialized equipment.
The board voted to approve the trailer purchase after a motion and second; the motion carried with no recorded opposition. The sheriff said the trailer “is gonna be for us to put a lot of our donation supplies into,” describing on‑site and mobile uses including crime‑scene and drowning responses.
The sheriff also asked the commissioners to authorize development of a payroll‑deduction program that would let the county front purchases for officers and recover the cost via installment payroll deductions. “We’ll actually front the money on an invoice to purchase of duty rifle or tacticalize or or whatever specialized equipment that they need above and beyond what we provide them, and then have a payroll deduction where the county gets reimbursed for that,” the sheriff said. He said purchases would be made through private dealers, not procured by the county.
The sheriff outlined guardrails he intends to include in the program: one active financed purchase at a time per employee; repayment periods could be extended (examples discussed ranged up to 18 months); typical deductions discussed ranged from about $100 to $125 per month depending on cost; and a contract clause would allow the county to recoup remaining balances from an employee’s final paycheck if employment ends before full repayment.
Commissioners discussed funding the initial outlay from a county equipment account but asked the sheriff to bring contract language and account details back for legal review. The sheriff said more detailed program guidelines and a formal contract would be prepared for the commission’s further review before full implementation.
The meeting also recorded personnel actions for the sheriff’s office. The sheriff reported hiring Shelby Williams as a jailer to replace Douglas King and asked to replace Sherilyn Tommy at $14.50 an hour starting immediately; those employee changes were presented to the commission for approval.
The motion to approve the cargo trailer was recorded as moved and seconded and adopted by voice vote with no opposition. Commissioners did not take a final, recorded vote on the proposed equipment‑finance program during the meeting and asked for the contract and legal review before formal adoption.
