Madison County sheriff's office requests four deputies, equipment and communications funding in budget briefing

An agency official presenting the sheriff’s-office budget at a Madison County meeting said the office will ask the county to approve funding for four additional deputy positions and a series of equipment and communications upgrades.

The official said the request is driven in part by a contract with the town of Hennis, which paid about $200,000 this past year for law-enforcement services and requires coverage for 50% of a shift. “We are going to be asking for four more positions,” the presenter said, adding that “I’d rather spend the 650,000 approximately on my own personnel to handle issues in Big Sky rather than pay for another entity to do it for us.” The presenter also said the department remains slightly below prior staffing levels and aims to provide 24-hour coverage countywide.

Why it matters: The office described a mix of recurring operating-cost increases and one-time equipment needs that the department said are necessary to maintain statutory retention and public-safety operations. The presentation tied personnel requests to gaps in contracted coverage and to rising costs for fuel, parts and technology.

Major cost items and justification

- Staffing: four additional deputies were requested; the presenter estimated current staffing at 17 deputies (including the speaker) with plans to reach 21–24 as candidates clear background checks. Contract revenue from local towns was cited as partial offset but not fully sufficient.

- Equipment and inventory: the office requested about $15,000 for an unmanned aerial system (the presenter emphasized “it’s not a drone”), additional firearms and shotguns if staffing grows, and training gear and protective equipment.

- Protective gear: an $8,000 increase was proposed for vest-carrier and body-armor replacement; the presenter noted manufacturer expiration schedules (five years) require planned replacement.

- Operating costs and maintenance: $12,000 more for gas and diesel to reflect higher fuel prices, $2,000 for tires, and increases to motor-vehicle repair and upfitting budgets to reflect rising shop labor and equipment costs. Vehicle upfitting was described as rising from roughly $13–15,000 to $17–20,000 per car.

- IT and contracts: a $20,000 increase was proposed to replace mobile data terminals and desktop computers on standard multi-year cycles; the presenter also discussed reclassifying recurring payments for in-car and body cameras, taser subscriptions and dispatch software with county finance staff to ensure correct accounting.

Communications, dispatch and infrastructure

Communications staff and the meeting’s guests described pressing needs in the county’s dispatch system: two new dispatch computers, server replacements, and the outfitting of a single workstation/substation at a new Twin Bridges facility near the airport. The presenter said the substation could provide redundancy for neighboring counties if their systems fail.

Kelly Curtly, introduced at the meeting as a supervisor for the communications center, was present for that exchange; presenters agreed to coordinate with finance and information-technology staff on detailed equipment lists and classification of contract payments.

Contract performance and reporting concerns

The presenter raised concerns about contracted patrol coverage in the Big Sky area, noting a long-term contract that could reach roughly $1 million over coming years and saying the county is not receiving monthly reports (stops, tickets, arrests) from the contractor. “I mean, my concern without seeing any of their reports is whether we’re getting what we’re paying for since I have zero data,” the presenter said. No contractor response was recorded in the transcript.

Evidence storage and facility needs

Because evidence and oversized items have been stored at the search-and-rescue building, the office proposed renting climate-controlled commercial storage near Ennis to protect items and maintain chain of custody; quoted monthly costs in the presentation ranged from about $110 for small units to $700 for larger space, and an example annual budget number of $12,000 was cited for a satellite office with utilities.

Fleet policy, tracking and procurement

Discussion covered vehicle-replacement triggers (roughly 100,000 miles), the need for detailed cost-per-mile tracking, and a suggested switch to a vendor card and service-tracking system (Right Express/WEX) to capture mileage, maintenance and expenditures per plate for clearer lifecycle and replacement decisions.

Staffing, recruitment and housing

Presenters said hiring is constrained by local housing availability. The speaker urged the Madison County Housing Board be part of the solution, saying recruitment is often limited by whether incoming deputies can find suitable housing in-county.

Next steps and procedural notes

County staff and the presenter agreed to follow up with finance to reclassify contract payments where necessary, obtain clearer contractor performance reports, nail down storage costs, and bring a more detailed equipment list and quotes back to the commissioners. A motion to adjourn was moved and seconded late in the transcript; no vote or recorded outcome appears in the transcript.

Ending: The presentation identified specific dollar requests and operational gaps and prompted several follow-up items for finance and communications staff; presenters left several cost figures and classifications to be finalized in subsequent meetings.