Sheriff seeks market adjustments as jail and patrol costs rise; board hears quarterly report

Sheriff Ken Gregory presented the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office fiscal year 2026 budgets for patrol, administration and the jail on Jan. 27, asking supervisors to consider market-driven pay adjustments for sworn deputies and flagging equipment and overtime pressures.

The sheriff’s office proposed a personnel increase for administrative staff (the sheriff said he used a population-based comparator to recommend a roughly 10% increase for the sheriff’s salary and set the chief deputy at 85% of that), and recommended a market adjustment for deputies to remain competitive with neighboring counties and local law-enforcement employers. The sheriff told the board he had previously supported a market adjustment two years ago that mattered for retention, and said several neighboring counties’ pay had risen since then.

The department’s budget outline included patrol salaries, overtime and benefits; the sheriff said overtime pressure had grown as deputies approach longevity thresholds (more vacation accrual) and with one upcoming mandatory retirement. On training and equipment, the office budgeted for continued costs for tasers (annual contract payments), ammunition and new patrol rifles to replace 18-year-old rifles; vehicle replacements and final payments for body and in-car camera systems were also in the plan.

On the jail budget, the sheriff reported room-and-board revenue and commissary/phone revenues contribute materially to operating costs; he told the board the jail commissary account is being used to pay allowable prisoner-benefit costs and that some jail operating items will be funded from commissary proceeds rather than the general jail operating budget. Jail budget adjustments included salary and overtime for part-time kitchen/custodial staff, medical expenses (with cost-sharing for out-of-county inmates when appropriate), and lower projected costs in some consumable lines because the department plans to use commissary proceeds for prisoner benefits. The sheriff said the jail’s commissary account had grown and that the county has in the past moved cash from the commissary account to the general fund when appropriate.

During the meeting, the sheriff presented the quarterly financial report for Oct.–Dec. 2024 showing jail-room-and-board and other fee revenues; the board voted to accept the quarterly report by voice vote. Supervisors also approved a deputy-appointment resolution by roll call. The sheriff said he expects to hire one replacement in the coming year (covering a retirement and a potential deployment) and reiterated the department’s desire to remain competitive in pay to retain staff.

Board members discussed trade-offs, noting county-wide discretionary dollars are limited and several departments have compensation requests. Supervisors pressed the sheriff for comparators and noted the county must balance retention with overall fiscal capacity. There was no immediate action to finalize pay increases; supervisors said they will consider requests within the broader county budget process.