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Sheriff scales back deputy request; board debates school resource officer funding and sales-tax capital uses
Summary
Sheriff Billy Woods trimmed his original request after the commission pushed back, cutting some sworn positions and adding community service specialists; commissioners raised questions about who should pay for school resource officers and whether sales-tax capital rules can cover leased high-cost equipment such as body cameras and tasers.
Sheriff Billy C. Woods told the Marion County Board of County Commissioners that his original FY2025-26 staffing request reflected a broader staffing study that found Marion County needed roughly 108 deputies now and projected several hundred more over five to ten years as population grows.
Woods said he reduced his original request from 25 new sworn deputies (and four community service officers) to a proposal that adds 12 sworn deputies and 10 community service specialists, and that he removed 15 proposed detention deputy positions from the jail budget in the current submission. He also cut one pilot position, reduced aviation repair spending, and removed other one-time capital items after discussions with commissioners and budget staff.
"The original budget is exactly what this office should be for this county," Woods said, describing the staffing study's recommendations and explaining that commissioners'priorities led him…
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