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Sheriff asks to unfreeze one position and add two deputies; dispatchers’ state pay change not included in current draft
Summary
The sheriff asked supervisors to unfreeze one position and add two deputy positions (three personnel changes once a retirement is accounted for), requested vehicle replacements and noted the state’s 6% dispatcher increase was not factored into the figures staff presented.
The sheriff and sheriff’s staff presented their FY26 request during the budget workshop, focusing on personnel and vehicles. The sheriff said the department is seeking to unfreeze one previously frozen position and to add two additional deputy positions; together with a pending retirement, that would increase the department’s authorized patrol staffing to about 30 officers if approved.
“The 3% was figured into these figures that that you have there. Also, the state is given a 1 time 1.5% bonus ... The 6% increase that the state has given to the dispatchers was not figured into these figures,” the sheriff’s presenter said, noting the state action affects compensation for state‑funded dispatch positions and would create uneven pay if the county did not match for locally funded dispatchers.
On equipment, the sheriff said the FY26 request includes multiple patrol vehicles. Staff explained the vehicle total on the front page reflected seven vehicles (five replacements plus two tied to new positions). The sheriff emphasized that vehicle replacement remains critical for officer safety and recruitment, and he asked for a list of current vehicle years and mileages to guide replacement decisions.
Staff and the board discussed options for how to treat the state-provided dispatcher increase: staff said the state’s change applies directly to comp‑board positions and that the county could either absorb the parity cost for county-funded dispatchers or use vacancy and timing strategies to implement bonuses when state money arrives.
Next steps: staff will factor the state dispatcher action into updated budget materials and provide line-by-line position lists (new and unfreeze requests), vehicle inventory with mileages and a reconciliation of how the sheriff’s requests affect the overall FY26 spending gap.
