Commissioners say yes to additional deputy

Another deputy will be added to the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office roster, sometime in 2016.

Bourbon County Commissioners voted 2-0 Tuesday to accept a $125,000 U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Grant, which will pay a portion of one additional deputy over the next three years.

First District Commissioner Lynne Oharah made the motion and Third District Commissioner Harold Coleman made the second. Commission Chair Barbara Albright was absent from the afternoon session of the commission meeting.

Coleman and Oharah said Albright would have voted in favor of the motion.

Also attending the meeting were County Attorney Justin Meeks, Sheriff Bill Martin and Undersheriff Ben Cole.

Originally, the grant was to pay 75 percent of a deputy's salary and benefits. The county would pay the remaining 25 percent -- $53,107. The county is also responsible for paying for an equipped vehicle, uniforms and duty equipment -- an estimated one-time cost of $45,000.

During the fourth year, the county will be responsible for 100 percent of the salary and benefits and in the fifth year, the county will have the option of retaining the additional deputy.

The grant award letter was received Sept. 28, after the 2016 budget had been set without the three additional deputies Martin had requested. One of those would have been the COPS grant deputy.

On Oct. 6, commissioners held a phone conference with Samantha Dorm, senior grant writer of Praetorian Digital in Pennsylvania. After discussing the county's budget challenges, commissioners learned the funding equation could be altered due to the county's hardship.

On Tuesday, Martin said the grant will now pay 100 percent of the deputy's salary and benefits the first year. He would have to contact Dorm to determine how the salary and benefits will be split for the remainder of the grant.

Martin also said the grant award was based on employees receiving an annual pay increase, but since that is not likely, there should be additional money available from the grant.

Courthouse security needs

Meeks discussed the state-mandated courthouse security measures that have to be in place by Jan. 1, 2017. Any plans the county had for courthouse security have changed "substantially" with the voters' agreeing to the construction of a new jail, Meeks said.

"Because we won't have officers in the building to help with security," Meeks said.

He said the commissioners directed him to look at what it will take to make the courthouse secure. He said he has spoken with Martin and Cole about the COPS grant, purchasing an additional vehicle for the deputy hired through the grant and hypothetical courthouse security issues.

Courthouse security and the number of service calls are part of the justification Meeks, Cole and Martin used in favor of adding a deputy.

Meeks and Cole said the numbers of cases the sheriff's office has responded to have increased since 2013, when the sheriff's office had about 400 cases. In February 2014, the sheriff's office obtained a new computer system and that year, 1,175 cases were entered in the new system. Cole said as of Tuesday, the office was up to 1,252 cases.

"That's a deputy sitting at the computer, typing a report, regardless of if it's criminal, civil or information," Cole said.

"The reason that's important, I've had banter sessions," Meeks said. "The reason I use that word is sometimes they are uncomfortable conversations. It's just conversations we know we need to have happen for safety reasons for the county and budgetary issues I know the county is facing. It's been a hard process and I appreciate the sheriff and undersheriff for having these conversations. We know it's not easy and the sheriff knows it's not easy.

"He doesn't want to have any additional taxes. He doesn't want to burden the taxpayers with additional funding. He knows about the funding. We've talked about that a lot. I want that out, because I want people to know it's not just spend, spend, spend. There's numbers to back that up."

Meeks said "the reality is" the sheriff's office needs four additional officers. In order to assist with courthouse security, handle the increased calls and perform uninterrupted investigations, the offices needs a total of seven or eight officers, he said. However, the county can't afford to employ all the deputies that are really needed, Meeks said.

"There's just no financial way to do it," Meeks said. "Obviously I'm not advocating any (one) way. That's your job to do, but based on the discussion I've had with the sheriff and Undersheriff Cole, it does make sense."

He also said he knows the commissioners "have a tough job."

"I don't know the answer and the sheriff doesn't know the answer," Meeks said.

He said the county has some options -- let voters decide on an increased mill levy or make cuts elsewhere to allow funding for security measures.

"We really have a 13-month window right now," Meeks said. "You're being forced by the state of Kansas to hire at least three additional deputies."

"Force is a very strong word," Martin said. "What Justin and I talked about is maybe we need to take it before the voters."