Lorain County commissioners on Nov. 21 held a budget work session with the sheriffs office to reconcile updated spending figures for 2026 and probe how special-revenue accounts, reimbursements and grants affect the sheriffs ask.

The chief deputy told commissioners the office has refocused sworn officers onto road patrol, moved administrative duties to civilian staff and raised jail staffing to what she described as a full complement. "You will not see that ever again because of the staffing increase now," the chief deputy said, referring to roughly $1.4 million in overtime costs the office recorded before staffing increased.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the county faces a roughly $11 million gap as it prepares the 2026 budget, and they want accurate, reconciled figures before deciding whether to shift funds from special accounts or change service levels. The sheriffs team and county finance staff agreed to update spreadsheets to reflect corrected 2026 figures.

Key budget adjustments and funding sources

- Special revenue and CCW funds: County staff and the chief deputy said they have moved some positions onto special-revenue accounts. The chief deputy said about $500,000 in a CCW special-revenue fund has been tapped to pay records staff who process CCW licenses and renewals. Staff cautioned those funds must be spent within legal allowances.

- Commissary and House Bill 397: Staff discussed House Bill 397, which passed the state House and could allow commissary funds to cover certain positions, including the corrections inspector generals salary. Officials also flagged an FCC-related change expected to reduce commissary deposits nationwide; the sheriffs office is watching that impact.

- Grants and program funding: The office reported more than $200,000 in state opioid-relief grants; the county said the grant funded two full-time employees who work with incarcerated people on substance-use treatment, and that the program was encouraged to reapply.

- School resource officers and reimbursements: The chief deputy said reimbursements from school districts for SRO salaries total about $758,000 annually and noted that reimbursements typically cover salary but not benefits. Commissioners asked staff to confirm where those reimbursements appear in county revenue and expense accounts.

- Pharmacy and medical costs: The chief deputy said monthly inmate prescription costs had previously averaged about $88,000, but revised contracting and procurement have reduced that average to roughly $17,000 per month; she noted hiring an in-house pharmacist remains an option to lower costs further.

Operations, equipment and compliance

- Hiring pause: The chief deputy said she held off on hiring 15 additional corrections officers intended for transport duties to avoid potential future layoffs and to keep the budget within the countys means; she said the jail is currently staffed at about 100 corrections officers, which she described as meeting minimal needs.

- Vehicles and leases: Officials said the countys vehicle-lease program with Enterprise increases equipment-lease line items in the early years of a rotation but spreads capital needs to avoid multi-year spikes in replacement costs.

- Technology and compliance: Staff described a prior LEADS technology sanction and said implementing Convergent helped the sheriffs office meet CJIS security requirements and avoid escalation of that sanction.

Longer-term choices under review

Commissioners and staff discussed options beyond near-term accounting moves, including renovations to repurpose existing jail space and a new-jail design that would be shovel-ready should state facility funds become available. A commissioner said he reviewed privatization possibilities but found initial informal estimates near $24 million to $27 million and expressed reluctance to pursue that option as a cost-saving measure.

Next steps

County finance staff said they were close to finishing reconciled spreadsheets reflecting the sheriffs corrected 2026 figures and will supply updated reports to commissioners for further review. The session closed with commissioners urging further transparency on how reimbursements and special revenue are being applied and with staff committing to provide the reconciled numbers.

Attribution: Quotes in this report are attributed to participants identified in the session transcript as the chief deputy and county staff.