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Sheriff says jail staffing improved but vacancies remain; seeks permanent sergeant for administrative division
Summary
The sheriff reported the county jail’s minimum staffing has been restored to four per shift, reducing outsourcing to Nisqually, but seven vacancies remain. The sheriff requested converting a budgeted deputy position to a sergeant to provide ongoing supervision of the administrative division and public-disclosure workload.
Mason County’s sheriff briefed commissioners on Jan. 27 that the jail’s minimum staffing level has been restored to four per shift, allowing the county to reduce its outsourcing to the Nisqually facility, but the department still reports multiple vacancies and operational constraints.
The sheriff said the jail population was 54 in-custody at the county facility with seven inmates still at Nisqually. "If we brought all seven of those back, that would only give us two additional beds," the sheriff said, adding that periodic booking restrictions could be necessary depending on arrest activity and staffing availability.
The sheriff reported seven vacant corrections positions and two staff currently on leave, and said background checks remain a hurdle for many applicants. He urged a continued focus on lateral recruitment and discussed options for vacation-accrual incentives to attract experienced officers.
On administrative structure, the sheriff described a 2024 proof-of-concept in which patrol corporals supervised the administrative division that handles civil process, public-disclosure requests and high-liability civil caseloads under Chief Beyer. The sheriff asked the commissioners to convert a deputy position added in the 2025 budget to a sergeant position to provide permanent supervisory capacity for that administrative work. The sheriff said the conversion would not require a supplemental budget request in the current year and estimated an incremental personnel cost of roughly $25,000 annually from deputy step 3 to sergeant depending on promotion mechanics.
Commissioners discussed alternatives, including a temporary lead or corporal assignment, and asked staff to bring the request forward for formal agenda consideration. No formal vote was recorded during the briefing.
The sheriff also outlined capacity figures for the jail: 93 physical beds and an operational maximum of about 80 beds to allow for classification and separation needs. He emphasized the need to hire and train additional corrections staff to fully restore bed availability and reduce reliance on outsourcing.
Commissioners asked the department to continue pursuing lateral hires and to return with policy options to support recruitment and retention.
