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Sheriff's office seeks additional deputies and vehicles; dispatch pay issue noted
Summary
The sheriff's office requested unfreezing one position and adding two deputy positions (plus vehicles), and noted a late state dispatcher increase that could create uneven pay unless the county matches the state action for locally funded dispatch positions.
A representative from the sheriff's office presented their FY26 requests, including unfreezing one position and adding two new deputies (which, if funded, would increase sworn staffing toward 30 deputies). The sheriff's office also requested vehicle purchases to both replace aging patrol cars and provide vehicles for any additional deputies.
The sheriff's representative also flagged a state dispatcher increase: dispatchers covered by the state Compensation Board will receive an additional 6% on top of the standard 3% state COLA in some classifications; that effectively produces a 9% increase on those state-funded positions. The county and sheriff's office discussed whether the county should match the 6% on locally funded dispatch positions to avoid pay inequities. Staff said the timing and the state action were late in the cycle and agreed to work through options, including absorbing the change via vacancy savings if feasible.
Board members asked for a breakdown of vehicle years and mileage and for a list of the frozen and newly requested positions so the board can consider personnel tradeoffs during the budget process. Staff committed to provide those items in the detailed packet.
