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Executive committee authorizes up to $400,000 to reserve funding for Walworth County Sheriff's Office organizational study
Summary
Walworth County's executive committee approved a resolution to ensure up to $400,000 is available to fund an outside organizational study of the Sheriff's Office, after debate over whether the county should do an internal review or pay for an external contractor; the motion passed with one recorded no.
The Walworth County Board Executive Committee voted to authorize funding up to $400,000 so that the county can award a contract for a planned organizational study of the Sheriff's Office. Supporters said an outside, third'party review is needed to evaluate staffing, operations and future facility needs; opponents questioned the price tag and urged exploring lower'cost alternatives.
"Our daily population in custody has not been below 220," a Sheriff's Office representative said, arguing the scale and complexity of jail operations have increased staffing demands. The presenter added the county'owned transportation fleet and calls for service have grown and an external firm can provide an independent analysis: "If we do this and we do this correctly ... the county will have a better plan."
Supervisor Joanne Laffenburg said she was sympathetic to the department but worried the requested funding was excessive. "Four hundred thousand dollars ' that's two years of salaries for a fairly educated person," she said, and asked whether the study could be completed for a lower amount or handled internally.
Staff explained the $400,000 figure includes the original $60,000 budget plus an additional $340,000 to cover higher-than-expected vendor bids and preserve the ability to contract without delaying the procurement process. County purchasing will keep vendor pricing confidential; any award above $100,000 must be approved by the finance committee, staff said.
A motion to authorize the funding passed on a voice vote with one recorded dissent. The committee chair asked that the dissent be recorded at the request of Supervisor Laffenburg. Committee members said interviews with responding firms were scheduled and the finance committee would review any award over the statutory threshold before a final contract was executed.
Next steps: the selection/interview process with RFP respondents will continue; any contract exceeding $100,000 will go to the finance committee for approval.
