Montgomery County sheriff asks commission to approve staffing changes, grant application and uniform contract

Sheriff Derek Cunningham asked the Montgomery County Commission to approve several operational items including converting a temporary master mechanic to a part-time auto mechanic, filling three deputy sheriff trainee positions using previously allocated ARPA funds, applying for a Firehouse Subs grant to buy equipment for a citizens emergency response team (CERT) and awarding a contract to Galls LLC for uniforms.

The requests appeared on the commission agenda but no vote or formal approval is recorded in the provided transcript. The sheriff said the temporary employee is willing to work part time and asked the commission to “send it on through” regarding the three trainee positions previously funded by Commissioner Walker. Commissioners questioned what would happen when ARPA funds are exhausted and whether the county would be responsible for continued employment; staff replied that continued employment would require approval by the commission and would typically be managed through attrition.

On the Firehouse Subs grant, Cunningham said the grant requires no local match and would buy equipment to support a new CERT team and citizen training for search-and-rescue and disaster response. “Why not train them? Why not get them the necessary equipment that they need to make it successful?” Cunningham said, citing recent storms in Florida and Georgia as impetus for preparedness.

Commissioners also considered a bid award to Galls LLC for sheriff’s office uniforms; a tabulation was referenced but no decision is recorded in the supplied transcript. Multiple items on the sheriff’s portion of the agenda were repeatedly advanced to “next agenda” during the exchange, and the transcript does not show final actions or recorded votes for the items discussed.

Next steps: each item remained on the agenda for further action; the transcript does not document formal votes or final outcomes for the sheriff’s requests.