Osage County approves hires and $23,000 Axon payment for taser replacements

Osage County commissioners on Nov. 25 approved personnel actions for the sheriff’s office and authorized an initial payment toward a multi‑year replacement package for conducted energy devices and related equipment.

Sheriff Wells presented the personnel requests and equipment options. The commission approved a payroll action for David Daugherty as a full‑time correction officer at $20.13 per hour, effective Nov. 17, 2025, and approved hiring Chloe Connor as part‑time dispatch at $17.81 per hour, effective Nov. 25, 2025.

On equipment, the sheriff’s office outlined a replacement package with a total program cost of $146,244 and proposed a five‑year payment schedule. "If we do payments over 5 years, the first annual payment is $23,000," a county official said while describing the vendor’s offer. Meeting discussion clarified the first payment reflects trade‑in credit for returning old units and that remaining payments were shown at roughly $30,811 in subsequent years; commissioners discussed whether to pay upfront or use the payment schedule, noting there was no cash discount for full payment.

The commission then approved Purchase Order No. 4055 in the amount of $23,000 to Axon Enterprise Inc., to be paid from fund 207 (the sheriff vehicle fund). The motion carried by voice vote. Commissioners and staff discussed tracking the obligation across the next four to five years and noted the county’s vehicle fund maintains receipts from vehicle sales as a reserve for equipment and capital needs.

The meeting also recorded that old units would be destroyed by the vendor and would not be redistributed to other agencies. Commissioners asked that the payment and recurring obligations be tracked in future budgets to ensure transparency over subsequent annual payments.

The purchase order vote and the personnel approvals were recorded in the meeting minutes and will be reflected in next month’s financial reports.