Polk County sheriff seeks funding for armored vehicle, radios, law-enforcement supplies and staff-related costs in FY26 budget

Kevin Schneider, Polk County sheriff, presented the office’s FY26 budget estimates and decision-package priorities to the Polk County Board of Supervisors.

Schneider and his budget presenter, Frank Rasco, said the sheriff’s office projects about $20,400,000 in revenue and approximately $93,000,000 in expenses for the upcoming fiscal year; the office’s current staffing level is 554 full‑time equivalents. Rasco said the sheriff’s office has a $600,000 package of decision requests in the current proposal.

Rasco explained components of the revenue estimate: a cost-sharing arrangement with municipalities for 911 services expected to generate "a little over $700,000" in the coming year and revenue from housing federal inmates under contract. He said the office is negotiating an increased per-diem rate with federal partners and the Department of Justice; the current per-diem cited in the presentation is $105 and the office said it hopes to negotiate a higher rate closer to $170 to account for increased expenses.

Schneider described three decision-package priorities highlighted in the presentation: funding for an armored vehicle; law‑enforcement supplies (including ballistic vests and specialized optics and equipment for SWAT and jail first responders); and increased operating costs driven by salaries and health insurance. Rasco described the law‑enforcement-supplies package as roughly $66,100 for items that are lifecycle replacements about every five years.

Schneider framed the armored vehicle as a public‑safety and rescue capability: "It's like buying a fire truck. It's a huge expense and you hope you never use it. But when you need it, you need it," he said, describing past incidents in which officers waited to borrow outside units for critical scenes and arguing an owned vehicle shortens response time.

The sheriff’s office said it has identified internal offsets and external partners to reduce the net ask: eliminating one patrol vehicle could free approximately $65,000, selling surplus ammunition could recoup about $65,000, and contract cities (for example, Grimes and Bondurant) have expressed willingness to contribute toward costs. The office also said it has applied again for a Prairie Meadows grant and expects to seek grant matches where possible.

Schneider highlighted programmatic accomplishments and grants: a 100% score on an ACA jail audit, a HIDA grant to place a deputy with the DEA Drug Task Force, the WARN reentry program to link people exiting custody with housing and employment resources, and expanded k‑9 coverage. He described investments in a new sally port and a training facility and said the office provides civil garnishment services and other revenue-generating functions.

On communications infrastructure, the sheriff said a county tower was tested and found structurally unsound and that the office plans a tower replacement funded from 911 funds; the board had previously approved up to $1 million to install bi‑directional amplifiers (BDAs) in schools if state school funding did not cover them. The sheriff also discussed license-plate-reader (Flock) cameras and said several metro cities have installations; Polk County is evaluating the technology and potential cost-sharing with contract cities.

There were no formal votes recorded during the presentation; the sheriff’s office will continue to negotiate contract per‑diems and pursue grants and partner contributions as part of the county budget process.

Ending: The board thanked the sheriff’s office; follow-up items include continued per-diem negotiation with federal partners, finalization of decision-package amounts, and confirmation of 911-funded tower replacement details.