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Douglas County Sheriff: budget request is flat, but additional deputies are needed

Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning says he stands by his department’s request for additional funding in the coming fiscal year.

County department heads presented their budgets at a Finance Committee meeting Tuesday. Douglas County’s new fiscal year begins July first. Commissioners asked all departments to present a flat budget.

Sheriff Dunning says his department’s budget request is $13.3 million, the same as the current fiscal year, with $172,000 in contractually-obligated raises included and $54,000 for utility costs. Dunning says the Sheriff’s Department is understaffed, and needs at least four new deputies. Without those, Dunning says he’ll have to re-allocate resources.

Little support was shown by County Commissioners for the four new hires. But County Commissioner Clare Duda says those deputies are needed to serve the residents of unincorporated areas.

Dunning says ultimately the Sheriff’s Department needs ten deputies. That would cost $500,000.

County Commissioners are expected to vote in mid-June on the 2012-13 budget. Finance Committee co-chairman P.J. Morgan says Commissioners don’t want to raise taxes.