Sheriff’s budget shows large vehicle and overtime costs; jail control‑panel and out‑of‑county housing discussed

Swain County commissioners reviewed the sheriff’s and jail budget requests, which included sizeable vehicle-replacement proposals, overtime-driven costs that increase workers’ compensation and retirement liabilities, and capital requests tied to detention operations.

The sheriff’s office listed a request for a vehicle rotation of up to 16 vehicles and a capital-outlay figure discussed in the meeting in the range of approximately $800,000 for the full fleet rotation; the department also listed a $75,000 request for a building to support video‑court appearance capability and a $25,000 drone request for search-and-rescue support. County staff and commissioners discussed leasing and fleet-purchase options and asked staff to solicit competitive quotes instead of relying on a single vendor.

For the jail, staff reported a potential capital need for a control‑room panel replacement estimated at about $150,000; staff said they have asked the county’s insurer whether a claim would cover a large portion of the replacement and are awaiting a response. Commissioners were told that food, medical and contracted services (including transports and out‑of‑county housing) fluctuate based on occupancy; staff said the county receives reimbursements for some transports and housing and will provide revenue-line detail to show how much inmate housing and transports offset operating costs.

Why it matters: overtime was repeatedly identified as a major cost driver increasing workers’ compensation and retirement costs; commissioners asked staff to model scenarios that reduce paid overtime by reclassifying some positions (where legally appropriate) or changing scheduling, and to return with hard revenue numbers for inmate housing and transports before final budget decisions.