Polk County sheriff requests deputies and analyst as FCC rules cut jail telecom revenue

Polk County Sheriff Kevin Schneider and Curtis Peone, business manager for the sheriff's office, presented the sheriff's proposed budget and decision packages to the Board of Supervisors, outlining staffing requests, contract changes and operational pressures.

Peone said the sheriff's office expects revenue to rise nearly 2% year‑over‑year while expenses increase about 4.3%, driven largely by personal services and jail medical and food costs. "We're up almost 2% year over year," Peone said, and noted total expenses approach the county's nine‑figure scale for the office.

Peone told the board a pending Federal Communications Commission rule will significantly reduce commissions collected from jail phone and video visitation services. "We average 827,000 call minutes per month... Now our phone commission has been set at 11.5 cents per minute, and the video was set at 12¢ per minute. Both of those are going by FCC rule to 2¢ per minute," he said, adding the rule took effect in December and the county must be compliant by April. Peone and the sheriff said the change will reduce revenue previously used for operational offsets.

The presentation included decision packages and reallocations: $89,000 tied to risk management and training simulator expenses (including Axon contract increases), a $143,000 reallocation from fund 1 to fund 3 for personal protective equipment, and operational savings of about $100,000 in jail food after menu optimization. Peone also proposed adding three deputies to a law‑enforcement contract with the city of Grimes, estimating first‑year deputy costs (salary, training, vehicle and equipment) and a net first‑year cost that would be offset in part by revenue from the contract partner.

Peone requested an analyst position (about $99,000) to support CAD/RMS/JMS analysis and FOIA work; County Administrator Frank said he did not approve the new FTE at that time and asked for more information. "I did not approve the request for the analyst position at this time," Frank said during his recommendation, citing a need for consistency on new FTEs.

Sheriff Schneider described operational metrics to justify staffing and program investments: an average jail population of about 1,145 people per day, roughly 17,000 annual bookings in and out, more than 3,000 volunteer hours supporting inmate services, and $981,000 in grant funding for 2025–26. He highlighted reentry partnerships with organizations such as Saint Vincent de Paul to reduce recidivism and noted regional collaboration where the sheriff's office provides software and services to other counties.

County Administrator Frank recommended approving the sheriff's base target and several decision packages but withheld approval for the analyst FTE pending more information; board members were told the budget could still be amended before final certification. No formal vote was recorded before the meeting recessed for a break.

Next steps noted in the presentation included ongoing Grimes contract negotiations and potential additional subscriber agreements for dispatch services; board members asked for follow‑up data on cost allocations and contract terms.