Curry County workshop exposes split over sheriffs staffing plan, supervision and animal control

Curry County commissioners and the sheriff clashed over a proposed fiscal-year budget and organizational chart during a workshop that centered on supervision, patrol staffing and who should manage animal control.

The workshop, convened to follow up on the county budget process, produced agreement on some requests but highlighted sharp disagreement over the removal of supervisory titles and how quickly newly budgeted patrol positions could be hired and made operational.

The dispute matters because commissioners said the proposed chart would increase the number of deputies on paper but reduce direct supervision, a change the sheriff and staff warned could reduce effective field coverage and trigger union grievances. The exchange also raised questions about spending lines for marine patrol, overtime and how quickly hires could be trained and put on the road.

The sheriff told commissioners the job descriptions circulated with the proposed budget contain errors and said some positions must be sworn and certified if they are to perform civil-process and patrol functions. On animal control, the sheriff said plainly, "I wasn't interested, and I'm not interested in it," and asked that civil-process and animal-control duties be handled where there is supervision and appropriate certification.

County staff and command officers outlined the countys proposed staffing: two lieutenants and two sergeants in supervisory slots and five patrol deputy positions budgeted for the coming year, plus specialized posts (marine, forest, community-service/animal-control…