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Sheriff Johnson presses pay adjustments, continues body‑camera and equipment requests in 2026 budget pitch
Summary
Sheriff Johnson asked the Dawson County commission to prioritize pay increases to improve recruitment and retention, and listed capital requests including taser program continuation, body‑camera and MDT replacements, a jail boiler replacement and a speed trailer.
Sheriff Michael Johnson asked Dawson County commissioners during the budget hearing to prioritize pay adjustments intended to improve recruitment and retention and to continue several ongoing capital programs.
"Let's fix the pay thing first where we can get them in the door and, and keep them," Johnson said, asking the board to consider salary changes countywide for sworn staff and jail officers.
Why it matters: The sheriff told commissioners Dawson County is losing experienced staff and that pay and hiring incentives are key to maintaining patrol, jail and court operations.
Pay and staffing Johnson asked the board to approve a $4 hourly addition for post‑certified deputies and jail officers (the request was discussed as applicable to patrol and jail staff but not to administrative personnel). During the presentation commissioners discussed current starting rates cited by staff: a jail starting rate of about $20.68 per hour and a patrol/deputy rate around $22.96 per hour. Johnson said the department has had retention and recruiting challenges and recommended finalizing compensation changes early in the budget process.
Capital‑equipment requests The sheriff listed ongoing and new capital items: continuation of the Taser replacement/maintenance program (batteries, cartridges and warranty/maintenance), continuation of the body‑camera contract, replacement of mobile data terminals (MDTs) because some units are failing and to prepare for Windows 12, and replacement of an out‑of‑service speed trailer used for traffic data collection.
Jail boiler replacement and other facilities items Johnson stressed an urgent request to replace aging boilers at the jail. He said there were three aging units needing replacement and that one had already failed and been replaced; the department gave an approximate consolidated estimate of $120,000 for the three units after service negotiations reduced an initial higher estimate. The sheriff asked the board to move the boiler replacement up in priority.
Other notes Johnson noted some items listed as capital requests had been covered this year (a dishwasher) and that continued technology upgrades (MDTs and cameras) are partly cyclical and partly driven by vendor and operating‑system changes. He said the department reorganized some budget lines to make functions (crime prevention, records, etc.) easier to track, which creates new line items with limited historical data but does not change total department costs.
No formal vote or funding commitment took place during the hearing; Johnson said he would supply further cost details on recurring contracts and the variance year‑to‑year on items such as the Taser program and body‑camera contract if the board wants them.
