Travel costs again take major chunk of sheriff's budget

CELINA - The cost of routine patrol and inmate transports continues to impact Mercer County Sheriff's Office expenses.

The department's total budget this year is $2.9 million. Last year's appropriations were about $2.8 million.

Vehicle replacements, repair, maintenance and gasoline costs, as well as time clocked on the road by deputies, are squeezing the agency's enforcement, jail and dispatch funds, Sheriff Jeff Grey said.

"People don't realize how much time we spend on the road," he said.

According to the most recent data, about 74 percent of the department's $2.4 million salary costs are dedicated to road patrol/investigations, Grey said. In addition, the sheriff's staff last year drove nearly 46,000 miles and logged about 1,950 hours transporting inmates to court and other locations, he said.

The sheriff's department has 26 cars, trucks and motorcycles. Each deputy annually drives 30,000-35,000 miles, he said.

"Last year we tallied 405,000 miles," he said, adding the majority - 272,000 miles - was solely for road patrol.

County commissioners this year appropriated $40,000 to the sheriff's vehicle repair fund; Grey estimated expenses of more than $3,000 per month to service the department's vehicles.

"Our cars are driven harder than most people's," he explained. "We go through a lot of brakes and tires. And there's a lot more service needed after you turn over 100,000 miles."

Grey said he plans this year to replace two cruisers with money appropriated last year in his department's equipment and enforcement account. His goal is to replace two high-mileage cruisers every five years, he said.

Each deputy takes a cruiser home at the completion of his/her shift. Grey believes making each officer responsible for a vehicle helps keep the cruisers in better shape for a longer period of time.

A lot of miles and staff hours are tallied each week transporting a growing number of inmates from the jail to court in Celina. A video system installed in a courtroom at the jail when it was built in 2009 is linked to the court and could reduce the need for transportation. However, the system is not used, Grey said.

"The equipment is there (in court) but the judge doesn't use it," he said.

Officers sometimes are required to transport inmates to other jurisdictions, Grey said.

"We drove to nine different states last year," he said.

Grey this year requested $94,000 to pay for gasoline. The estimated cost is based on a rate of $3.50 per gallon - much higher than the current retail price of about $2 per gallon.

"If gas stays low, the money could be given back to the commissioners at the end of the year," he said.

The sheriff's office this year will spend about $2.4 million in salaries for the 63 employees working in enforcement, corrections and dispatch. The amount excludes Grey's wages and a 1.5 percent wage increase that county commissioners recently approved for all departments.

Grey's salary is $59,537 and has been frozen since 2008 when state lawmakers last increased county sheriff's wages, which are based mainly on population.

The sheriff's equipment and technology costs rise and fall each year depending on needs. Computer-related expenses could be on the horizon.

"We may do a $40,000-$45,000 computer upgrade this year," he said.

Computer equipment and software upgrades are necessary to ensure security, compatibility and compliance with state regulations, officials said. Due to the agency's multifaceted, 24-hour operation, it's a costly task, Grey said.

"We have as much computerized equipment as the rest of the county does altogether," he said.

The sheriff's office uses a different computer system than other county agencies due to the diverse programs it supports, he noted.

The county continues to appropriate about $800,000 each year to jail operations - the same as years ago when the facility was located across from the courthouse.

The total construction and equipment cost for the jail along state Route 29 was $14.4 million. The debt and some ongoing maintenance expenses are funded by a 0.5 percent sales tax levy, which was approved by voters in November 2007. The levy generated $2.3 million in 2014.

County officials during the construction phase obtained two bonds to pay the debt - one for $10.5 million and another for $2.53 million.

"The sales tax (collected) goes into the maintenance fund and an amount is pulled out each year to pay the debt," board of commissioners' administrative/clerk Kim Everman explained.

To date, $4.16 million has been paid on the principal of the $10.5 million bond and $880,000 paid on the principal of the smaller bond, according to Everman.

"In 2015, the county will pay $1,196,487.50 in principal and interest combined," she said, adding about $326,000 of the amount is solely for interest.

Commissioner Jerry Laffin told the newspaper he's pleased with the sheriff's operations, especially the focus in recent years on the area's heroin problem.

Commissioner Rick Muhlenkamp said he's comfortable with the manner in which Grey handles all three divisions.

"He does well," he said. "We try not to intervene, just let him do his job."