Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Proposed detective role splits commissioners as sheriff seeks more capacity
Summary
Sheriff Lancaster proposed adding a detective (26% increase in that line) and on-call requirements; Commissioner Don Skillings explicitly opposed adding a detective. Patrol, fleet, civil and SRO funding lines were also reviewed.
The Sheriff’s Office detailed multiple account lines as part of the FY27 budget workshop. Sheriff Lancaster proposed adding a detective to address drug-case investigations and said detectives would be required to be on call; that change increased the detective line by 26%, according to the administrator’s presentation. Commissioner Don Skillings stated he opposed adding the detective, marking a clear policy disagreement among the board during the budget review.
The board also reviewed patrol (up 7% for wages and absorbed grant-funded positions), fleet (recommended reduction of 34% for vehicle purchases because many units were recently upgraded), and SRO (school resource officer) funding: $185,000 in revenue was budgeted from towns against $205,000 in SRO costs, leaving an estimated $20,000 county share justified by broader county use. The board discussed civil service revenue declines (forecast $164,000 offsetting $227,902 in expenses) and the end of COPSFAST grant funding.
