Unidentified Speaker 2, a county law-enforcement official, told the board the department has expended 79% of its budget to date while it would normally be at about 91% by this point, and cautioned that salaries and December bills remain to be paid.

Officials framed the staffing picture as mixed. "We've hired 49 people this year, 45 being correctional officers," said Speaker 4, summarizing year-to-date recruiting, but commissioners heard the county is still down roughly 22 correctional positions when accounting for future movement. Speakers said correctional training (correctional basics) runs on a cyclical schedule and staffing should improve in the spring.

Sheriff's office leadership said recent patrol hires included two employees promoted from the jail who will be sent to the North Dakota Peace Officers Basic for licensing; the department noted that of 25 licensed patrol slots associated with jail assignments, only about 12–13 are currently filled.

Volunteer and leave liabilities were raised as a future budget risk. Speakers warned that accumulated paid-time-off balances could create a future payout liability if not managed. The board also heard that the county used 1,823 hours of overtime in November alone — equal to roughly 10.4 full-time equivalent positions — to meet minimum operational needs.

On nursing staff for the jail, county officials said nurse recruitment has been particularly difficult: several candidates were in background processing but had not completed the required paperwork. Commissioners discussed whether to expand candidate pools by considering paramedic-level hires for some clinical tasks to reduce the burden on RNs; officials stressed any role changes would need medical-director sign-off and to comply with accreditations and access requirements.

Board members said staffing patterns and under‑spending on salary lines could justify revisiting budget allocations in mid‑2026 as recruitment stabilizes. The meeting ended with commissioners thanking staff for recruitment efforts and noting plans to monitor hiring and overtime into the new year.