Klamath County commissioners, incoming sheriff debate KCC contract, staffing and undersheriff role; final action delayed

Sheriff Shane Mitchell told the Klamath County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 17 that the county risks losing a Klamath Community College contract if it does not fill a sergeant position funded three-quarters by the contract and one-quarter by county dollars. "If we don't fill that contract, we're gonna lose that contract," Mitchell said, adding the role supports school resource officer duties, training and other functions the sheriff's office needs.

Commissioners voiced strong interest in retaining revenue-paying contracts but said the county's broader budget outlook makes immediate hiring complex. One commissioner warned the county faces a projected $6,400,000 deficit next year and said every staffing decision must include an identified "pay-for." "If we do our jobs... your office is going to get impacted," the commissioner said, urging collaborative work to find funding and to avoid running operations on reserves.

The chair moved to extend the KCC contract and direct staff to draft an extension; another commissioner seconded. When the chair called for ayes, one commissioner recorded a no vote and explained three concerns: why the role must be a supervisor, that the contract language had not been reviewed, and that the contract might not fully cover county costs and could leave taxpayers liable. The transcript records the chair voting aye and one commissioner saying "no," but a full roll call and final tally were not recorded in the public transcript. After additional discussion the board agreed to postpone final action and review contract language and accounting at an administrative session at 3:00 p.m.

Commissioners and the sheriff separately discussed converting a budgeted captain position into an undersheriff appointment to provide leadership and relieve an overburdened staff member. The board signaled consensus to work with the sheriff to craft a job description and process, but several members said they would not approve posting or an appointment until the commissioners and staff documented a pay-for and reviewed the personnel and fiscal implications. "Every decision that we make is gonna have a pay for," one commissioner said.

The meeting also examined a separate long-standing contract with the Bureau of Land Management for a deputized position assigned primarily to forest/BLM work (the transcript names Steve Leslie). Commissioners and staff disagreed about whether past billings fully covered the county's pension and overhead costs; one commissioner said earlier contracts had underpaid county costs and that adding PERS and other liabilities could exhaust contract funds before 12 months of coverage, while a staff member said recent billings had covered salary plus benefits though some overhead categories differed.

Sheriff Mitchell reported a strong applicant response to recent jail recruitment—"17 people show up"—but said many candidates failed background checks or written/physical tests, underscoring ongoing staffing pressures in corrections.

Next steps: commissioners directed staff to assemble contract language, billing history and FTE accounting for the KCC and related contracts, and to continue the undersheriff job description and pay-for analysis; the board scheduled continued review at the administrative session at 3:00 p.m.