Utah County Commission approves reclassification in sheriff's staffing plan, 2-1

The Utah County Commission approved a change to the sheriff's staffing plan that reclassifies a jail accounting position and expands its responsibilities, the board said during its regular meeting.

Commissioner Ainge expressed hesitation before the vote, saying he had not had enough time to consult with others and noting that the clerk/auditor's office recently added three accounting staff. "I think that this item for me, I haven't really had a chance to speak to anyone about this," Ainge said, adding he was concerned about whether the new position was necessary given those recent hires.

The presiding commissioner and Under Sheriff Buffton said the item is meant to preserve the "pay-to-stay" financial duties while adding broader accounting responsibilities for daily sheriff's office needs. "This is a pay to stay assignment down there and what we are doing is adding really more work to that person's position," Under Sheriff Buffton said, noting the county is bumping the position from a 505 to a 508 classification to match other county accountants.

Josh from the clerk/auditor's office said his department supports the change and can assist at a high level with budgeting and reporting, but that it cannot manage the jail's day-to-day pay-to-stay operations. "Our department's prepared to help the sheriff's office at a high level," Josh said, and characterized the proposal as "net 0 in terms of headcount financially." The record shows the sheriff's office previously operated with two accounting positions for corrections/enforcement and now has one; staff said the reclassification seeks to consolidate duties and attract more qualified applicants.

A motion to approve item 6 carried by a 2-1 vote. The chair counted the ayes as the presiding commissioner, Commissioner Lee and Commissioner Sakovich; Commissioner Ange voted no. The commission recorded the change as an authorization to reclassify and fill the position rather than as a net new headcount addition.

The commission did not provide a detailed fiscal estimate for the reclassification in the meeting record; commissioners and staff referenced historical collections from the pay-to-stay program spanning "hundreds of thousands" of dollars over multiple years but did not provide a precise, current annual figure. The commission moved on to other business after the vote.