FAYETTEVILLE — The Washington County Sheriff’s Office needs $1.4 million for more staff, vehicles and equipment next year to keep deputies safe and maintain quality service, Sheriff Tim Helder said.
“I don’t ask for frivolous needs,” Helder said. “We don’t ask for more than we need, but we feel like we have an obligation to the citizenry here to provide them with great service.”
Justices of the peace will consider the sheriff’s request next week for eight more patrol deputies, two deputies for court services, a civilian animal control officer, 11 vehicles and other equipment. The increase would take $1.2 million from the general fund, according to records.
The Sheriff’s Office budget would increase from $7.5 million approved for this year to $8.6 million next year, according to budget records.
The request comes as justices of the peace start to wrestle with a $67.7 million projected budget for next year. If approved as is, the county would continue to spend more money than it takes in by about $5 million, records show.
Justice of the Peace Eva Madison, a Democrat representing northeastern Fayetteville, said the Quorum Court could phase in the sheriff’s request piecemeal, but a report shows the needs are immediate and growing.
High emergency calls, including suicide threats and domestic disturbances, were up 31 percent from 2014 to 2016, according to a report by the Sheriff’s Office staff completed in April. Suicide threats alone have jumped 29 percent.
Officers are more likely to be injured at those kinds of calls, law enforcement officials say.
“The need for additional safety is obvious to law enforcement officers,” according to the report.
OFFICER SAFETY
Violence against law enforcement officers is up nationwide, and Washington County deputies are not immune, Helder said. Two deputies have been shot and seriously hurt in the past three years.
Cpl. Taylor Reed was shot in the arm in August 2014 during a domestic disturbance that turned deadly near Elkins. Lt. Tion Augustine was shot in the hip in March 2016 when he and other officers went to help a man who threatened to kill himself.
Augustine is among the three deputies who created the 2017 report.
Eight deputies were assaulted last year, including one deputy who was head-butted, spokeswoman Kelly Cantrell said. Those numbers don’t include assaults on deputies at the jail.
Deputies’ time also is stretched thin, the report shows.
Sheriff’s Office deputies help police departments with some investigations, including shooting incidents involving police. They also accompany police to some dangerous calls. Last year, deputies went with police 2.5 times per day on average, the report shows.
“The primary issue at hand is not if the Sheriff’s Office can continue to provide acceptable responses to calls for service, but how well they can continue to do so, considering the increasing call volume, without compromising officer safety,” according to the report.
Helder said he has an obligation to keep deputies safe. The only way to do that is with more personnel, he said.
“We’re all in this together,” Helder said.
‘ALL IN THIS TOGETHER’
The sheriff’s request, which goes to the Budget and Finance Committee on Thursday, could spur discussion about increasing the county’s millage rate, Madison said.
The property tax millage rate was lowered to 3.9 mills from 4.4 mills in 2011. The maximum rate allowable is 5 mills. Increasing the millage rate by 0.5 would bring in about $1.6 million, records show.
Helder has said he wants to work with the Quorum Court and can spread the requests out.
The report lays out options such as cutting services, including animal control, crash investigations, criminal investigations and community outreach. Another option is to do nothing, but the report notes “it is irresponsible to do nothing when the need for change is predictable.”
Justices of the Peace Tom Lundstrum and Harvey Bowman, both Republicans, said they wanted to hear more before making up their minds. Lundstrum represents northwestern Washington County; Bowman represents northern Washington County.
Both sit on the county’s committee over courts and law enforcement issues.
“I’m a big law enforcement advocate but at the same time, I’m against taxing people to death,” Lundstrum said. “Sometimes, you can struggle through and get by without (more).”
The Sheriff’s Office has forgone needs before, Lund-strum said.
The department cut positions four years ago and has postponed buying new vehicles.
Helder said he scaled back spending to offset part of the personnel cost. His office turned back $381,423 to the general fund in unspent money in 2016, records show.
The county expects to have $13 million in carryover money next year in the general fund, records show.
Maj. Rick Hoyt said if the sheriff wasn’t asking for more deputies, the budget would be less than it was this year.
Some years there’s nowhere left to cut, Helder said.
Scarlet Sims can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAScarlets.