Sheriff

Sheriff $8.6 million

Law Enforcement $4,452,865

Detention $2,360,936

Communications $861,704

Search & Rescue $807,467

Emergency Management $154,539

What We Do: The Sheriff's Office consists of Patrol, Detention, Dispatch, Emergency Management and Search & Rescue. The mission of the Sublette County Sheriff's Office is to protect all life, property and constitutional guarantees of all person. We provide law enforcement coverage to include all towns within Sublette County.

Budget Summary: Sublette County Sheriff K.C. Lehr oversees five departmental budgets totaling about $8.6 million, with the majority of the spending allocated for personnel costs of about $4.5 million.

Budget compared to last year: +21.9%

Reason for difference: In addition to salary adjustments, the SCSO budget includes replacement and upgrades in equipment for these first responders.

Law Enforcement: Personnel costs of approximately $3 million comprise the majority of the $4.45 million budget. This department includes administrative staff as well as 34 sworn officers, including three positions assigned to courtroom security and probation, seven positions in investigations and narcotics, and 22 patrol positions.

The budget includes $600,000 for purchase of four fully equipped patrol vehicles and two sport utility vehicles as part of the regular rotation for replacing older stock. Two of these vehicles were ordered in the prior budget year but were not yet delivered so their costs were rolled over into the new budget.

Compared to last year this budget doubles the estimated cost of gas and oil to $250,000, while the cost of tires and vehicle maintenance remained the same, at a total of $90,000 for the department's 53 total vehicles.

The ammunition line item was increased by more than $67,000 (for a total of $112,500) to cover increased training and the purchase of a shooting simulator that can be used by the public as part of concealed-carry training courses. Half the cost of this purchase will be covered by a grant. Patrol equipment (recorders, printers, etc.) is allocated $45,000, as is investigative equipment and training. Criminal investigations are allocated $48,000. Animal control is budgeted at $35,000.

Detention: The nearly $2.36 million detention budget covers costs of operating the county jail. Personnel costs for a lieutenant, courtroom security officers and detention officers total about $1.8 million, and these were the only costs that increased over last year's budget. Other major costs include $230,000 for prisoner board, $120,000 for prisoner medical expenses, and $50,000 for jail maintenance.

COMMUNICATION

Communications: Dispatches not only deputies out to citizen calls, but also dispatches Fire and EMS to responding fire and medical incidences.

The $861K communications budget covers all the costs of operating the county dispatch system and reflects a decrease from last year's budget with the nearly $120,000 savings in communications center maintenance and repair. . Personnel costs for the administrator and communications officers total approximately $598,000. Other major budget items include $65,775 for the E-911 system, a cost that more than doubled from the previous year.