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Sheriff Parton defends jail budget, says office is 'open book' after criticism
Summary
Sheriff Parton used the public-comment period to rebut accusations that his office is "hoarding" money, citing operational needs for a 400-inmate capacity, rising fuel and medical costs, and multi-year sums the sheriff said were returned to the county.
Sheriff Parton, of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, told the Budget & Finance committee during the June 4 meeting that criticism of his agency’s financial posture was misplaced and that the office must budget conservatively for jail operations.
"I have to budget whether I have them or not for 400 inmates," Parton said, explaining that the sheriff’s office must pay medical, dental and other emergency costs when inmates are in custody. He described contingency budgeting for hospitalizations, surgeries and other unpredictable expenses and said unspent funds are returned to the county at year-end.
Parton said recent increases in gasoline costs—he cited monthly fuel spending rising from about $14,000–$15,000 to $23,000–$24,000—have added pressure to his department’s operating budget. He also told commissioners he has left roughly 16 positions unfilled between jail and patrol because of timing and, in part, because this is an election year.
The sheriff listed multi‑year amounts he said were returned or saved: in his accountings he cited being $816,042 "to the good" in his first year after taking office in 2018 and later annual returns he summarized as several hundred thousand dollars in later years. He also said the office’s drug‑fund account, which he said averages roughly $500,000–$700,000, has paid for equipment and items that would otherwise be county expenses. "Let the dope dealers pay for it," he said.
Miss Mariana, the county staff member handling assessments and budget spreadsheets, was asked to confirm fund balances and figures during the public comment. Mariana told the committee the county's fund balance had grown substantially since 2018 and indicated a current fund-balance figure discussed in the meeting of about $10 million.
Parton also pushed back on the tone of earlier remarks by another elected official that he said suggested the sheriff was "hoarding money," calling that characterization unfair and inviting any commissioner to examine line items. "We're an open book," he said, offering to answer follow-up questions from the committee.
No formal action was taken in response to the sheriff’s remarks; commissioners asked clarifying questions and moved on to the committee’s budget deliberations.
