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Sheriff's Office explains staffing; residents press for more scrutiny of law-enforcement spending
Summary
A Lamoille County Sheriff's detective outlined staffing levels (one deputy day shift, one deputy night shift, 12-hour shifts) and Johnson residents questioned a sharp budget increase in the law-enforcement line for FY27; concerns were raised about oversight and whether alternatives had been studied.
Detective Sergeant Kevin Lehi of the Lamoille County Sheriff's Office addressed residents' questions during the budget discussion, describing current patrol staffing and response arrangements. "We have 1 deputy on for day shift every day and 1 deputy on for night shift every night. We run 12 hour shifts... Currently, we have that," he said, adding that Johnson accounts for an estimated 50–60% of calls for service handled by the contracted department.
Residents pressed the town on a projected jump in law-enforcement expenditures (from about $427,000 to nearly $600,000 in the proposed budget). A resident urged further public scrutiny and noted a previously formed committee had been disbanded. The town administrator said the sheriff's department had noted staffing issues and, because they did not fulfill their end of the contract last year, they either wrote the town a check for the difference or rolled it forward; the board requested a check, which affected the final figures and the proposed FY27 budget.
