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Commission debates courthouse-security MOU with sheriff; sends detailed draft back to staff for rewrite
Summary
Commissioners debated a draft MOU that would outline which department – the commission or the sheriff – handles courthouse security duties (hiring, scheduling, budget control). Several commissioners said they were not ready to decide and asked staff to produce a detailed written MOU and job description for a future meeting.
County legal staff presented a template memorandum of understanding intended to clarify responsibilities between the Harrison County Commission and the sheriff’s office for courthouse security, including who posts jobs, conducts interviews, manages scheduling, and controls security-related capital expenditures.
Commissioners debated whether to restore an earlier 2017 arrangement, which they described as limiting the sheriff's operational control over security, or to grant broader authority back to the sheriff. Concerns included: who would have hiring and firing authority; which office would control the security budget line; and how to document job descriptions and supervisory authority. One commissioner said the prior order (5/24/2017) had delegated certain restrictions and wanted clarity on whether the commission was returning to that arrangement. Staff reiterated that the draft MOU was a template to be customized by the commission.
Because commissioners said they had not reviewed Commissioner Henkel’s draft language in advance and some said they had only seen the new draft that morning, multiple commissioners asked staff to prepare a redlined, fully written MOU and a job description for review. One commissioner moved to place the item on the next agenda with complete written language; the commission agreed to defer further action so that precise responsibilities, job descriptions and fiscal controls could be clarified in writing before any final vote.
What happens next: Staff will prepare a detailed MOU draft and job description for the commission to consider at a future meeting; the commission did not adopt a final MOU on Feb. 4.
