Despite red flags raised by Sheriff Bryan Murphy, Allen County commissioners passed a 2020 budget Tuesday.
Murphys biggest concern is that the jail has 17 employees for whom commissioners have ordered Murphy give 3% cost of living raises. Thats a tall order when his budget was increased by less than 1%.
Commissioners raised the sheriffs department budget by $1,192 to $1,246,315.
I just dont see how we are supposed to make it, Murphy said.
Murphy said that since he has been in charge, the jail has been profitable by housing out-of-county inmates. In the last four years, Murphy said the jail has brought in $1.4 million in revenue. That money is applied to the jail lease payment.
We are bringing in so much money but have never received a penny of it. I have never came and asked for any of it to go to my department. But nobody really brings up the fact that a lot of the money that we bring in goes to fund other projects, Murphy said. Yet, I dont have enough money to cover these raises. I dont know how we can possibly give raises.
Another concern was dispatch, where Angela Murphy said her department was the only one in the county to receive less money than the previous year.
Dispatch has 10 employees, all of whom are also supposed to receive a 3% COLA raise.
I am not sure if any of you are aware of this, but my department is the only one to receive less than the year before, Murphy said. We are actually budgeted for $5,000 less than 2019.
Commissioner Bruce Symes said that he was struggling with slashing budgets for public safety and public works.
Our first duty as commissioners is to protect the public and make sure our citizens are safe. Yet, public works and public safety are the areas that took the brunt of the hits, Symes said.
Commissioner Bill King said that he wanted the departments to try to operate with the budget, but they would look at several options throughout the year to help them out if they need it.
It will work out, have faith in us, King said. I have been in (Sheriff Murphys) your position before and walked out of here with my tail between my legs, feeling beat down. I have been there. But trust that we will help you out if it is needed.
King said that commissioners need to keep better track of county funds.
I should have done a better job watching where all this money was going, when the departments came in asking for more, King said. But we cannot raise the mill levy. We have so many people on fixed incomes, including myself, that would struggle if we had to raise taxes. Every penny matters to a lot of people.
