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Utah sheriffs urge lawmakers to maintain jail-contract funding and back search-and-rescue aid
Summary
The Utah Sheriffs Association told lawmakers county jails provide essential contracted beds and urged continued Department of Corrections contract funding, while also seeking support for search-and-rescue reimbursements and court-security funding.
The Utah Sheriffs Association asked the Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee on Jan. 31 to support the Department of Corrections— request for increased jail-contract funding, saying county jails now provide a crucial 1,600 beds for state inmates and that a recently adopted contract formula will stabilize costs over time.
Sheriff Tracy Glover, Kane County sheriff and president of the Utah Sheriffs Association, told the committee the formula adopted in 2022 created "continuity, consistency, predictability" and will level off higher contract rates as Department of Corrections wage and staffing costs stabilize. "We—re now operating under the Department of Corrections standards," Glover said, adding county jails run aligned treatment programs and provide housing and care the state depends on.
Glover said county jails are holding a more difficult inmate population than in past years and that counties have increased medical and mental‑health staffing to meet those needs. She warned sheriffs statewide prefer to continue the contracts with the Department of Corrections rather than take on new federal contracting arrangements the sheriffs are hearing about from federal immigration officials.
The association also urged the committee to back funding for search-and-rescue operations. Glover described the USARA program, a fundraiser to boost the state—s search-and-rescue reimbursement board, and asked lawmakers to consider tax credits and other supports for unpaid volunteers. She said federal legislation (referred to in testimony as the Public Land Search and Rescue Act) could help cover aviation and other costs for rescues on federally managed lands.
On court security, Glover told the committee sheriffs bear rising expenses as new and expanded courts require security. She said the association is working with the Administrative Office of the Courts to seek solutions and welcomed committee efforts to explore statutory tweaks.
The sheriffs also noted expanding county roles in probation services after changes in felony sentencing, and Glover said some counties have launched probation programs to monitor and support people who would otherwise have limited supervision.
Separately, Glover said the Utah Sheriffs Association and allied western sheriffs successfully pressed legal challenges to a lengthy federal OSHA Emergency Responder Rule, which the association said would have imposed costly requirements on volunteer emergency responders and search-and-rescue teams; Glover said a recent presidential executive order has halted that rule.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about recidivism, programming inside jails and the mix of state and federal contracting. Sheriff Glover urged the committee to "stay the course" on the contract formula so rates can stabilize and the system can remain predictable for both county jails and the Department of Corrections.
Ending: Sheriffs said they will continue coordination with the Department of Corrections, the state search-and-rescue board and the legislature while asking lawmakers to maintain funding that supports contracted jail beds and volunteer rescue resources.
