Sheriff highlights detention reforms, Exodus recovery results and staffing pressures in FY26 budget review

Coconino County Sheriff Brett Axland used a May 7 budget presentation to summarize jail operations, inmate programs and staffing pressures as supervisors review FY26 funding options.

Lede: Sheriff Axland told the Board of Supervisors that recent detention reforms, expanded medical capacity and in‑jail treatment have reduced recidivism among participants while rising violent‑crime and mental‑health calls are increasing operational strain across the sheriff’s patrol and detention divisions.

Nut graf: The sheriff requested board support for workforce compensation and targeted capital work on an intake/medical expansion at the main Flagstaff detention facility; he emphasized gains from the county’s Pathways to Community and Exodus programs and warned that rising suicide‑related calls and post‑pandemic case complexity are testing staffing and resources.

Body: Axland described the sheriff’s office as organized across operations, detention and support services and noted the jail district manages two facilities: a 596‑bed main facility in Flagstaff and a 48‑bed, 72‑hour holding facility in Page. He described an intake redesign and an intended medical expansion that would add exam rooms, more medical housing (proposed increase from six medical beds to 24), workspace for health staff and an adjacent recreation yard to better care for individuals with medical and behavioral needs.

Programs and outcomes: The sheriff highlighted the Exodus in‑custody treatment program (90‑day model) and promoted Michael Vaughn, the program’s treatment supervisor, who described Exodus as a recovery pathway from which former participants can become staff and trainers. Axland reported the county’s Pathways to Community coordinated reentry program has reduced recidivism: staff reported a fall from about 40% recidivism to roughly 10% among people screened and enrolled in reentry supports. The detention program also continues tablets‑based education and expanded in‑house medical services.

Public safety trends: The sheriff cited local increases in suicide‑related calls (341 calls reported, a 7% increase from the prior period), nine jail suicide attempts and 456 placements in suicide‑watch cells last year. He reported violent crime increases in unincorporated county areas and in Flagstaff (the presentation cited a 40% rise in violent incidents countywide and 60% in the city during the period cited) and more frequent SWAT responses and domestic‑violence incidents requiring resources.

Staffing, pay and recruitment: Axland told supervisors that recruitment and retention are the department’s most pressing financial questions. He described competition with municipal departments and NAU for officers and said pay differentials can reach tens of thousands of dollars for some classifications. He said detention officer recruitment had improved after a revised pay plan and hiring bonus were implemented; the jail reported filling vacancies after a prior shutdown period for lack of staff.

Legislative items and grants: The sheriff addressed pending state policy issues that could affect workload, including the effects of Oklahoma v. Castro‑Huerta on tribal jurisdiction (allowing state charges in certain cases) and a coordinated reentry bill that would deliver statewide funding to five pilot counties; he said Coconino’s Pathways program is well positioned to seek that money. He also mentioned ongoing work on OHV safety, mutual‑aid authority for border counties and correctional retirement policy affecting detention officer retirement benefits.

Budget requests and county manager comment: County management told the board it recommended a targeted approach: prioritize pay adjustments and motor‑pool solutions to retain existing staff rather than immediately adding new recurring FTEs, and to set aside one‑time technology funds for sheriff priorities. Management also recommended a 5% CPI increase and motor‑pool repair allocations for the sheriff’s office; the sheriff’s presentation urged supervisors to weigh long‑term workforce costs in their FY26 decisions.

Ending: Supervisors thanked the sheriff and his staff for the presentation and asked for follow‑up materials on staffing, vehicle status and the projected fiscal impact of the sheriff’s compensation proposals.

Attributions: Quotes and program numbers in this article come from Sheriff Brett Axland, Deputy Chief Garrett Beck and Exodus treatment supervisor Michael Vaughn in the county budget meeting of May 7, 2025.