Douglas County corrections director seeks nearly $69.64 million for FY27, citing mental-health addition and medical costs

Michael Myers, director of corrections for Douglas County, told the county board June 9 that his department’s FY27 budget request is $69,640,000, about $1.99 million above the county target. He said the increase is driven primarily by an annual medical contract escalation and staffing needs tied to a new mental-health housing addition.

The department’s target for FY27 was $67,647,921, Myers said, and the medical and staffing increases together account for most of the gap. "Our ask of you is $69,640,000," Myers said in his presentation. He estimated a contracted medical and mental-health care increase of about $631,321 starting Sept. 1 and said operating the new four-unit mental-health addition will require additional staff.

Myers described staffing and timing assumptions for the addition. He said operating the four housing units 24 hours a day will require roughly 25 correctional officers and the addition of several sergeant posts; the department plans to reassign some existing staff and close several housing units in the current jail to offset new posts. For FY27 the net incremental personnel funding Myers requested for the new unit was roughly $640,192, reflecting partial-year funding assumptions tied to training and phased openings.

Myers told the board the jail’s personnel costs represent about two-thirds of the department’s budget and that vacancy savings differ in a corrections setting because vacancies often increase overtime rather than reduce costs. He presented average daily population figures to justify staffing requests: about 1,025 in 2024, 1,080 in 2025, 1,110 for the current calendar year and 1,169 the morning of the meeting. He argued that funding additional officers could reduce overtime costs over time, noting overtime expenditures fell from roughly $5.24 million in 2023 to about $3.79 million in 2025.

Board members asked for additional detail and analysis. Commissioner Friend pressed whether narrowing the scope of the mental-health unit could increase overtime and asked Myers to provide projected overtime-savings estimates tied to staffing scenarios. Commissioner Borgerson asked the department to document the return on investment for the pre-trial release program; Myers said the county saves roughly $7–$8 in detention costs for each dollar spent on that program and agreed to provide further supporting data and narrative on potential revenue offsets, including pending agreements with the City of Omaha and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Several commissioners raised questions about the multi-year growth of personnel and contracted expenses, and one commissioner said the mental-health services expansion is not a new duty but a relocation and improvement of services the department already provides. Myers acknowledged the budget relies on assumptions that could change if population trends shift and said he may request a midyear supplement depending on contract bid outcomes and actual demand.

The presentation concluded without a board vote on the request; commissioners asked Myers to return with additional data and narratives that would clarify overtime savings, revenue offsets, and contract cost histories. The board then proceeded with other business and later moved into executive session for contract negotiations and legal advice.