Committee hears explanation for sheriff budget overrun; board signs new payroll contract to improve reporting

County staff told the Committee of Law and Government that a combination of union contract market adjustments, low vacancy rates (which increase payroll expense), and comp time/overtime carryover produced a larger‑than‑expected budget shortfall in the sheriff’s office for fiscal 2025.

Staff said market adjustments included an approximate 5.8% increase for patrol and an 8% adjustment for corrections as part of recently negotiated contracts; an earlier estimate of an added $1,900,000 to the budget for market adjustments was understated, contributing to a notable variance. Staff also noted that higher retention (fewer vacancies) can increase actual payroll expense versus projections that assume some vacant positions.

Committee members discussed operational causes — comp time accumulation, carryover and how comp is accounted for — and asked for more frequent, detailed reporting. The county has signed a new payroll‑system contract intended to improve data cleanliness, reporting and the ability to separate comp/overtime from regular salary. Staff said the new vendor has begun data collection and implementation planning; a go‑live date will be selected once configuration and cleanup work is completed.

Members directed staff to bring affected department heads (including sheriff’s office leadership) to the committee of the whole and to finance to explain operational drivers and to provide deeper financial breakdowns. Staff agreed to provide more frequent and granular reporting, including quarterly updates to finance.

Next steps: staff will continue implementation of the new payroll system, provide requested operational briefings with sheriff’s leadership at the committee of the whole, and deliver revised quarterly financial reports that break out comp and overtime exposures.