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Sheriff proposes new deputies, vehicle and radio replacements as correctional revenues fall
Summary
Sheriff's Office presented a 2026 recommended budget that adds two deputy positions, funds replacement of squad vehicles and radio equipment, and shows a projected decline in correctional-service revenues after Dane County reduced inmate-boarding; supervisors questioned staffing rationale and regional backup demands.
The Rock County Sheriff's Office presented its 2026 recommended budget with staffing, equipment and corrections-revenue updates.
Major elements - Staffing: the sheriff's budget includes funding for two additional deputy sheriff positions. Administration and the sheriff described increased call volumes, regional backup responsibilities and deployments (military and family leave) that leave patrol and specialized units short; the sheriff said it can take roughly a year to recruit and train a deputy. - Vehicles and equipment: the budget proposes replacement of 12 vehicles in 2026 (estimated vehicle replacement costs: $694,400) and purchase of replacement radios (about $192,000) to address compatibility and end-of-life issues. Lease or purchase of a BearCat and related public-safety equipment were discussed as tools for specialized incident response. - Correctional revenues and jail operations: correctional-services revenues are budgeted to decline by about $457,437 (23.1%) from the prior year, driven in part by the anticipated discontinuation of Dane County's contract to house overflow inmates. The county also has a new federal contract to house federal detainees (projected to house up to 20 federal inmates at $110/day), which offsets some revenue loss but not fully.
Supervisors' questions and context Supervisors pressed for clarity on whether the new deputy positions were for proactive crime-investigation needs or to backfill regional needs when neighboring municipalities struggle to maintain staffing. The sheriff and administration said needs are mixed: the department responds to increasing county calls for service, provides mutual aid, and supports complex multi-jurisdiction investigations that have grown in recent years.
Correctional staffing and overtime The department reported higher overtime pressures in both patrol and corrections and said filling correctional officer vacancies has been more difficult than filling deputies. Overtime was budgeted at $579,055, a projected increase of about 10.3% over the prior year.
Ending: The board and administration will continue to review recruitment, overtime and regional mutual-aid responsibilities as committees examine the sheriff's request; supervisors asked for vacancy and applicant-data follow-up.
