Shelby County sheriff urges full funding of FY2026 budget, warns against 'salary restrictions'

Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner told the Budget and Finance Subcommittee that his office’s fiscal year 2026 request seeks about $16,000,000 in new expenditures to cover overtime, equipment, technology and urgent jail repairs, and that the office opposes any salary‑restriction or vacancy‑savings language in the final budget resolution.

The sheriff’s chief administrative officer, Alicia Lindsey, told the subcommittee the sheriff’s office will return unspent funds to the general fund but said preemptive reductions tied to an account labeled “salary restriction” or “vacancy savings” undermine the sheriff’s constitutional authority and impede staffing flexibility. "Let me be clear: Sheriff Bonner does not support the use of salary restrictions, vacancy savings, or any restrictions in the Shelby County Sheriff's Office fiscal year 2026 budget," Lindsey said.

The request includes a $3,700,000 overtime increase after the office reported an $11.7 million overtime budget and roughly $17,000,000 spent through March in the current year, with three months remaining. Lindsey said state inmate housing reimbursement runs about $41 per day while the county’s cost is about $66 per day. The presentation also listed capital and maintenance priorities including patrol vehicles ($1,000,000), mobile data terminals ($2,570,000), professional and contractor services ($1,500,000) and a $1,200,000 request for building renovations at two county facilities.

Lindsey said the office is awaiting a master jail study expected May 6 and called a new jail the department’s top capital priority, citing increasing detainee counts and infrastructure that does not meet Tennessee Corrections Institute (TCI) standards. Kirk Fields, chief jailer, described recent door replacements in the older facility that have reduced incidents and addressed obsolete parts, saying the new swing doors are “pretty much tamper proof.”

Several commissioners pressed the sheriff’s team on the vacancy‑savings practice. Commissioner Ford and others said the size of the county’s vacancy savings in recent years has increased and that the policy effectively reduces elected officials’ budgets. Deputy Director of Administration and Finance Michael Thompson and Chief Administrative Officer Lindsey gave different descriptions of how the county currently accounts for vacancy savings; Lindsey said the county has an $82,000,000 restriction overall and that the sheriff’s office has been asked previously to identify positions to restrict, a step the sheriff’s office said it never agreed to.

Thompson provided an analysis of fiscal year 2025 vacancy savings by office and cited Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) guidance supporting vacancy‑savings forecasting. He told commissioners that, nine months into the fiscal year, the sheriff’s office had recorded approximately $47,300,000 in vacancy savings versus a $44,000,000 budgeted amount, and said the approach is a common practice among governments to forecast personnel expenditures.

The presentation also itemized prior year capital and repair spending and encumbrances. Lindsey said the office had requested roughly $16,500,000 in repairs for FY25 and listed major categories — doors ($6,700,000), elevators ($2,300,000), kitchen equipment ($1,200,000) and other building improvements — and said the office will continue capital maintenance while awaiting the master jail study.

The subcommittee did not take a vote on the sheriff’s budget during the presentation. Commissioners asked for follow‑up information, including details on overtime drivers, the state inmate reimbursement calculation, and documentation on the county’s use of vacancy savings. The sheriff’s office and finance staff said they will provide follow‑up materials to the committee.