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Sheriff outlines training academy costs and staffing plan; commissioners ask about meal and overtime policy
Summary
Sheriff Jones briefed the court on academy training for deputies, explaining cost comparisons between housing students during training and reimbursing overtime for travel, and cited county handbook rules on meal reimbursement.
Sheriff Jones told the Mills County Commissioners Court on March 10 that sending deputies to the law‑enforcement training academy without housing them overnight is less costly for the sheriff's office and less burdensome for personnel than housing students while in session.
Jones said the county budgeted $250 per trainee for school tuition and that prior instances of housing students overnight cost roughly $5,100 per person, compared with an estimated overtime cost of about $3,100 if deputies travel daily and are paid overtime. Jones described the academy schedule as full days (about 10–12 hours per training day) and noted the academy course runs about six months.
County staff and commissioners discussed the county handbook’s meal reimbursement policy. Sheriff Jones and meeting participants referenced the handbook, section 2C‑2, which the sheriff read aloud: meal costs are reimbursable when an employee travels outside the county and incurs overnight lodging; employees should submit detailed receipts and supervisors must approve expense requests. The handbook itemized that reimbursements must comply with IRS rules and noted a daily maximum eligible reimbursement of $60.
Commissioners raised staffing‑coverage questions: Jones said the sheriff's office arranged replacements so jail staffing would not be left short while deputies attended training, and he described the academy graduates as returning to work immediately upon completion. The sheriff also said the department had previously used individual contracts when housing and large contractor costs were involved, but the current circumstances — sending local deputies who already live in the area — did not require a separate contract.
Why it matters: the court’s decision about whether to pay lodging or overtime affects sheriff’s office budgets and deputy workload, and meal‑reimbursement policy determines how training expenses are recorded for county accounting and payroll.
Ending: Commissioners asked the sheriff and treasurer to continue coordination so staff can present a final cost and policy recommendation if the department seeks broader use of county funding to finance academy attendance.
