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Sheriff authorized to spend $18,660 from state asset-forfeiture fund for security, equipment and community events
Summary
The county approved an $18,660 appropriation from the sheriff’s state controlled-substance asset forfeiture fund to pay for a front-door security/intercom system, reception redesign, laptops for training and communications, and speaker systems used at community events and the firing range.
The Ashe County Board of Commissioners approved an appropriation of $18,660 from the sheriff’s state controlled-substance asset-forfeiture fund to cover several department needs, county staff said.
Sheriff Howell told the board the appropriation request came from the state asset-forfeiture balance of $39,249.71; using $18,659.69 would leave an estimated remaining balance of $20,590.02. The appropriation would increase the Department of Law Enforcement budget from $4,480,450 to $4,499,110, a staff summary read aloud during the meeting.
Howell described primary purchases: a front-door intercom/security system tied into dispatch and the front desk to control after-hours access; renovation of a reception area to reduce blind spots and protect staff; multiple laptops for training and public-information work; and additional speaker systems for the firing range and large public events such as the county’s back-to-school blast. The sheriff said the speaker purchase was intended to improve coverage at large events that draw several thousand people.
Commissioners moved and seconded the appropriation and approved it during the meeting. The transcript records general discussion about safety, the need to protect front-office staff, and the community uses for speakers and equipment; no roll-call vote was published in the record.
County staff will update budget documents to reflect the increased appropriation and will proceed with purchases under procurement rules.
