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Sheriff seeks nearly 10% budget increase; overtime, federal inmate revenue and village contracts draw heavy scrutiny
Summary
Sheriff presented a 2026 budget proposal with a near 9.8% increase driven by personnel, medical-provider costs, and contracted services. Supervisors probed assumptions about overtime, federal inmate housing revenue and policing contracts with villages; the board approved the budget.
Sheriff presented the 2026 budget, which totals roughly $43.5 million and reflects a 9.8% increase from the 2025 adopted budget. Department leadership said personnel costs (including negotiated tentative agreement rates), increased medical-provider costs for correctional health care, and additions such as an officer wellness program drive much of the increase.
Sheriff said year-to-date outside invoices for legal or contract services were manageable, noted a recent FBI task-force drug operation in which county officers participated, and announced the imminent retirement of Captain Clint Cameron. He said the department has been busy with enforcement and promoted a cross-training and instructor development strategy.
On budget specifics, finance staff and the sheriff walked supervisors through: a personnel increase (partly offset by an 8.6 FTE reduction in in-house kitchen staff under a new Aramark food-service contract), a projected $700,000 rise in medical-provider contractual costs (the second year of a contract), and a $160,000 grant-driven K-9 expense with offsetting revenue.
Revenue assumptions drew scrutiny. The budget reduces federal inmate revenue by about $600,000 versus 2025 because the average federal inmate count year-to-date is lower (department moved from budgeting 50 federal inmates to a planning figure near 35). Supervisors asked whether that assumption was conservative and how it would affect the county if federal housing demand rises.
Overtime was a central topic. The sheriff reported steps to monitor overtime and move the budget toward actuals; supervisors pressed him on realism and noted historic large variances between budgeted and actual overtime. The department said roughly 60% of overtime historically has been driven by corrections staffing; deputies and administrative services account for the remainder. Supervisors asked for a more detailed overtime breakdown.
Finally, supervisors discussed policing contracts with villages, calls-for-service data, and whether contract terms should reflect actual workload. The sheriff and staff said new data collection and monthly reports are improving transparency and that more detailed analysis would be provided to inform future contracts.
After extended Q&A, Supervisor Gearston moved approval of the sheriff budget; Supervisor Kirby seconded and the board approved the budget by voice vote.
