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Franklin County sheriff warns of staffing pressures and a nearly $30,000 inmate medical bill
Summary
Sheriff reported that the office closed the fiscal year at about 99.13% spent and that an immediate budget amendment will be needed to cover a nearly $30,000 inmate medical bill.
Sheriff reported that the sheriff's office spent roughly 99.13% of its budget for the year and expects a final payroll to close the fiscal year. He told supervisors he will request an immediate amendment to cover a single inmate medical bill that approached $30,000 and said Medicaid did not cover that case.
The sheriff identified court scheduling and the availability of court-appointed attorneys as contributing factors to medical-timing issues for inmates, and said similar problems are occurring across the state. He said the office had not had a bill of that size in about 20 years and described the case as an exceptional cost tied to trial scheduling.
On staffing, the sheriff described a tightening labor market: neighboring counties and some private-sector employers are offering substantially higher entry pay (he cited an example of $69,000 versus $84,000 starting pay elsewhere), and agencies are recruiting at academy graduations. He said deputies commonly leave at or near the five-year mark when competing offers materialize, and that the county must balance pay increases so long-tenured deputies do not approach the sheriff's salary scale. The sheriff said he expects it to be difficult to recruit applicants and that he will likely have a vacancy to fill by Aug. 1.
The sheriff also discussed internal workforce structure and scheduling, saying all deputies are full-time, reserves now typically hold other law-enforcement jobs, and the department is evaluating shift-length options as a way to manage coverage with current staffing levels. He said July vacation schedules create additional coverage challenges.
On operations and insurance, the sheriff said he had discussed itemized property listings with an ICAP adjuster and the county agent to ensure appropriate documentation; he characterized the outreach as due diligence. He also reported K-9 deployments at a recent band concert led to arrests for drug possession, and described day-to-day activity as otherwise working as intended.
No formal board action was taken on these reports; the sheriff said he would submit a budget amendment for the inmate medical cost in the first round of amendments.
