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Sheriff highlights regional firearms range, staffing shortfalls and correctional needs in budget workshop
Summary
Sheriff Shannon Moon told the Board the Sheriff’s Office budget proposes use of restricted sheriff special revenues to fund a $19M regional firearms training facility, plus additions to deputies and corrections staff; she flagged deferred correctional maintenance not covered in the draft. (350 chars)
Sheriff Shannon Moon told the Board that the Sheriff’s Office’s draft FY 2026–27 budget includes substantial restricted‑revenue expenditures and staffing requests, and that public‑safety operations remain constrained by staffing shortages.
Moon said the Sheriff’s Office proposes using saved sheriff special revenue funds to cover the county’s share of a regional firearms training facility. County fiscal staff estimated $12.5 million in expenditures for the range in FY26–27 as part of a total estimated $19 million design‑build project; those funds are restricted to law enforcement purposes and not general‑fund support, staff said.
Georgette Aronow, the Sheriff’s Chief Fiscal Administrative Officer, outlined a proposed $84.5 million total expenditure plan for the office with $77.85 million in proposed revenue. She said salary and benefit increases (roughly $2.8M) and body‑worn camera program costs (approximately $391,000 in the next installment) are significant line items. Aronow added the general‑fund allocation, net of a $4.9M Justice Services drawdown used for the range and camera projects, covers much of the office’s salary and benefit and jail medical contract costs.
Moon also highlighted correctional operations, saying the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility provides medical, dental and mental‑health services and that the jail has outstanding deferred‑maintenance and safety upgrades (siding, roofing, HVAC, second‑tier fencing) estimated at roughly $2.4 million; that package is not included in the proposed budget and would come back as separate requests when funding is identified. She noted the jail now receives some Medi‑Cal reimbursements for mandated medical services as part of the CalAIM initiative.
On staffing, Moon said Nevada County remains below pre‑recession deputy counts and currently operates at roughly one deputy per 1,000 residents; she and Undersheriff Sam Brown urged continued attention to recruitment, retention and training. The Sheriff’s Office requested several additional full‑time positions (a sergeant, senior animal control officer and a correctional officer were among those noted).
Board members pressed staff for clarifications about what the budget reductions cut (Aronow said the roughly $578,000 of service reductions were strategic deferrals of equipment, specialized training and non‑essential items), and about the timing and financing of correctional capital needs. Sheriff Moon said the department will pursue federal and grant funding where possible but that some projects would require future county decisions.
The presentation drew attention to a multi‑year project pipeline and the tradeoffs between drawing down restricted sheriff funds for training infrastructure and funding other capital or operations needs across the county.
