Commissioners adjust sheriff’s budget for wage increases, school officer reimbursements and jail contract

Kalkaska County commissioners reviewed the Sheriff’s Department budget during an Oct. 30 workshop, focusing on wages, benefits and volatile jail costs. Accountant Corinna Hervey incorporated a $1-per-hour union wage increase into wages and fringes and noted $82,000 in school officer reimbursements expected from local districts.

The board discussed operational costs and one-time items: staff added $10,000 to fleet costs for 2026, reduced the Gas/Oil line to a recommended $55,000 (down from $60,000) and set aside funds for anticipated repairs to the department’s boat. Commissioners and staff also flagged jail-related volatility; the county maintains a roughly $400,000 contract with Wexford County for prisoner lodging, an arrangement that staff said allowed a reduction of four corrections officer positions in 2025. Hervey also identified an $11,808 omission added to unfunded retirement and recommended correcting MERS accounting — a GL correction to 305.719.999 to $588,504 — to reflect an additional previously uncounted employee.

County Administrator Patrick Whiteford and Hervey discussed uneven state grant payments for road patrol and partial DNR grant funding being used toward equipment (a new side-by-side). Staff noted that quarterly grant timing and variable court coverage hours make some revenue and expense lines unpredictable for 2026. No formal vote was recorded on individual sheriff budget lines during the workshop; the board will consider the recommendations at subsequent budget meetings.