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Sheriff outlines vehicle, phone, servers and staffing requests in FY2027 budget presentation
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Summary
Sheriff Paige told the budget committee the department needs six fully outfitted patrol vehicles, replacement servers, upgrades from flip phones to smartphones for patrol staff, and continued investment in electronic warrants and camera subscriptions to maintain operations and accreditation.
Sheriff Paige (speaker S6) presented the sheriff's office and corrections budget requests during the White County Budget Committee meeting, highlighting fleet replacements, IT upgrades and personnel needs.
Key requests: The sheriff asked for six fully outfitted safety patrol vehicles (with vehicles and equipment together estimated at roughly $207,000), two replacement servers that have reached end of life, an annual software subscription and a potential software maintenance cost-share, and an upgrade from 25 county-issued flip phones to smartphones to support e-tickets, data, texting with informants and mobile access to investigations. He also identified recurring maintenance agreements for an electronic warrants platform and recurring costs for the Flock camera subscription (a recurring line shown in the packet at about $44,000).
Corrections and staffing: In the jail/corrections portion, the sheriff requested step raises (amount to be determined), expanded medical insurance for correctional staff to remain competitive, a $3,000 tuition increase for training, reclassification of a position to sergeant to preserve structure and accreditation, replacement radios and a proposed correctional investigator role to manage PREA-related investigations and internal narcotics inquiries. The sheriff said adding an investigator would keep more investigative work local and assist accreditation and standards compliance.
Committee questions and clarifications: Commissioners asked whether vehicle packages or separate vehicle and equipment purchases offered better quality and about the possibility of starting smartphone deployments with sergeants rather than all patrol deputies. Staff said state contract prices cover vehicles with full turnkey outfitting options. Committee members asked the sheriff to provide a comprehensive vehicle inventory (year, make, model, mileage) to justify replacement timing; the sheriff agreed to supply that list.
Technology and e-warrants: Staff and the sheriff described an electronic warrants platform that integrates DA offices and judges to shorten the warrants process from hours to minutes; committee members noted the vendor pricing included a 200-warrant assumption and suggested monitoring actual usage to reprice if necessary. The sheriff and IT staff said e-warrants and integrated dash-cam/axion services may change hotspot/data needs in vehicles.
Context: The sheriff reported answering 23,976 calls for service in the past year and said the county's population growth will likely increase future staffing and equipment needs. Public commenters and committee members stressed prioritizing employee compensation and questioned duplication of technology services.
Next steps: The committee requested a vehicle inventory and asked finance staff to provide budget scenarios for COLA increases before the next meeting. The sheriff's vehicle and equipment requests will be considered as part of the overall FY2027 budget review.
