Bourbon County budget committee hears sheriff outline staffing, dispatch, EMS and fleet costs; city offers $350,000 to ease dispatch transition

Bourbon County officials on Tuesday reviewed detailed public safety budget pressures as Sheriff Martin and staff described higher personnel costs, potential savings from a new local emergency room, and the costs of absorbing dispatch operations from the City of Fort Scott.

The discussion focused on three near-term budget drivers: personnel and overtime in the sheriff’s office and corrections; the county potentially taking over dispatch (the city offered $350,000 for 2026–27 as a transition payment); and a multi‑year fleet replacement plan (an enterprise leasing program) to reduce high repair and maintenance costs.

Why it matters: Public safety accounts for a large share of the sheriff’s proposed increases. Committee members said they want to preserve services while seeking alternatives to drawing further on reserves and the soon‑to‑sunset jail sales tax.

Sheriff Martin summarized the department’s budget shift, saying the county absorbed personnel costs previously provided under contract and that the sheriff’s office now faces higher salary and contractual expenses. He asked the committee to consider returning some inmate‑housing revenue to the sheriff’s operating fund rather than allowing it to be moved to general uses. The sheriff’s office already collects fees for housing inmates from other jurisdictions; the sheriff asked that those fees be shown as a line item under the sheriff’s office budget (he cited “code 120” as the relevant internal designation for those funds).

County finance staff said the county’s 2026 draft budget increases public safety spending and that, if dispatch were moved into the sheriff’s budget, the sheriff’s total would rise by roughly $532,000 in the county finance spreadsheet used for discussion. The committee’s staff analysis noted that some of the dispatch‑related costs might be offset by a county receipt of certain E‑911 funds, but those E‑911 dollars are legally restricted to equipment and other limited uses and cannot be used for general personnel costs.

On dispatch, the City of Fort Scott has proposed a transition payment of $350,000 for 2026 and 2027 to help the county absorb dispatch operations. Committee members said the payment would provide a “soft landing” while the county develops a long‑term staffing and funding plan. Finance staff also said the state system requires each dispatch console to pay an annual seat fee (quoted in the meeting as roughly $18,100 per console per year), a statutory cost all dispatch centers must budget.

EMS and ambulance funding: An EMS representative (Terry) described current collections and billing processes, noting the county has begun collection letters and uses a private vendor for billing. The department obtained a used ambulance last year for about $50,000 and has been raising community funds for specialized equipment. Terry and committee members discussed creating an ambulance reserve fund for future vehicle purchases; staff reported an existing equipment reserve balance that has varied (the presenter cited roughly $200,000 in 2022 and $185,000 in 2023 in equipment reserves).

Fleet replacement and enterprise leasing: Committee members and staff discussed engaging an enterprise fleet program to replace very old vehicles, improve maintenance tracking and spread replacement costs evenly over time. Staff said the sheriff’s current annual maintenance and repair costs for vehicles run in the tens of thousands per year (the meeting cited roughly $75,000 per year for repairs on the current fleet). Committee members described enterprise leasing as offering procurement and maintenance expertise, potential buying power and an ability to capture resale equity to offset future purchases; they said the program would not directly pay for salaries but could reduce soft costs and officer time spent on vehicle upkeep.

Revenue sources and constraints: The committee reviewed the jail sales tax fund, which staff said is dedicated to a small set of uses (remodeling, bond payments and certain jail/sheriff operations). The sales tax is not permanent and will sunset; committee members said they worry about relying on it for ongoing costs. The committee was also told delinquent property taxes for 2024 total nearly $1.4 million (Treasurer Jennifer reported the upcoming publication). Members emphasized that some revenue streams are volatile (sales tax) or legally restricted (E‑911), which limits options for covering ongoing personnel costs.

Other items: Staff and the sheriff discussed inmate‑housing revenue as a potential source to fund certain sheriff needs but cautioned against relying on volatile out‑of‑county inmate contracts as a recurrent funding source. The committee also discussed juvenile placement costs (Stronghold and other contracted detention) and noted uncertainty about per‑child costs versus flat annual contract amounts.

Next steps: The budget committee set two follow‑up meetings to develop and prioritize proposed savings and adjustments: a brainstorming meeting to gather ideas, followed by a session to “monetize” those ideas so the clerk can assemble a preliminary budget for the public hearing. Committee members asked department leads to be consulted before any savings ideas are made public.

Meeting context: committee members repeatedly said the county needs to balance preserving essential public safety services with realistic revenue assumptions, and they asked staff to produce budgets that show the cost implications of absorbing dispatch and options for enterprise fleet replacement.