Supervisors parse budget; EMA projects and sheriff staffing drive debate
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Summary
In a wide‑ranging budget workshop supervisors and department heads discussed EMA/EOC capital needs, tower maintenance costs, proposed new deputies tied to a matching grant, and the county attorney's budget, with supervisors asking for cuts and clearer line‑item tracking before final approval.
Crawford County supervisors used a budget workshop to press department heads on several high‑cost items and to direct staff on immediate next steps.
Emergency Management reported capital needs that include Conex storage boxes, shelter supplies and tower/microwave maintenance. EMA staff said an initial tower quote arrived after the packet was prepared and was substantially larger than earlier figures; supervisors discussed delaying some purchases, using reserves where necessary and seeking a 99‑year lease with the city to justify an upgraded EOC bay. One supervisor said the EMA coordinator had already trimmed costs and prioritized critical items.
The sheriff presented a budget that included a proposal to add two full‑time deputies as school resource officers, funded in part by a $250,000 matching grant over three years. Supervisors raised concerns that the county share and long‑term costs could be large and noted the budget showed a 28–34% increase in some sheriff lines; board members asked the sheriff to rework numbers and to explore 12‑hour shift patterns and other scheduling options that might reduce overtime and the need for new hires.
County attorney budget review covered outside counsel, special prosecutors, server and IT maintenance and training. The county attorney explained periodic use of outside or special prosecutors for conflict cases and asked for modest budget authority for travel and special‑prosecution expenses; supervisors proposed specific cuts and asked the office to clarify recurring versus one‑time needs.
Supervisors repeatedly emphasized reserves and state fiscal uncertainty. One supervisor summarized the board's direction: trim nonessential equipment and discretionary lines now and circulate updated budget figures by email for next week's meeting. The board recessed for lunch and scheduled follow‑up meetings to finalize figures.
Ending: Board members directed department heads to submit revised budgets and said supervisors would reconvene to finalize the county tax ask once those numbers are reconciled.
