New vehicles top sheriff's office capital improvement plan

In a first, Sheriff Darren Short submitted his office’s capital improvement plan to the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners on April 7.

The document, though light on details, lays out Short’s big-ticket spending priorities in the years ahead. County officials said the fiscal roadmap is needed to set aside dollars for future undertakings.

Short highlighted six areas of need. Only one, replacement of the office’s vehicle fleet, came with figures attached. Authorities estimated that $237,000 was needed in fiscal year 2022 to buy four new patrol vehicles. They plan on replacing two a year — at a current cost of $59,300 — thereafter.

In the plan, Short noted that his office historically had swapped out two vehicles a year. That changed in calendar years 2019 and 2020. Officials bought just one new vehicle annually during that period, he wrote. Short chalked it up to problems with the supply chain and said the office had sought out used vehicles to keep its fleet running.

As for the more nebulous future concerns, Short wrote that file storage space was in short supply. Office personnel were looking for ways to store both hard and electronic copies of documents, including through the purchase of shipping containers.

He also noted the county detention center’s failing camera system. County officials, the commissioners among them, began looking into possible upgrades last summer after Short and Undersheriff Brad Dodson alerted them to problems with the camera system.

At the time, the pair told commissioners that broken cameras would limit what cells could hold inmates. County Administrator Patrick McFadden also expressed displeasure with the camera system encompassing the remainder of the courthouse. During a Black Lives Matter rally in June, officials realized they could not make out the faces of individuals in the vicinity of entryways.

Just one company has made a sales pitch to commissioners: Idaho-based M2 Automation. In February, the firm proposed replacing the camera systems in both the courthouse and detention center. The county would pay an annual fee rather than purchase any of the equipment necessary for the upgrade.

As for communications equipment, the sheriff’s office’s dispatch and radio systems are currently getting upgraded. Commissioners agreed more than a year ago to dip into the county’s reserve of payment-in-lieu-of-taxes fund to pay for the overhaul. Short wrote that the dispatch console and the office’s radio system will need replacement in 10 to 15 years.

Short also noted the work underway to design a new detention center. The aging complex, which sits beneath the county courthouse, was built in the 1970s and no longer meets jail standards. Officials have formed a committee to study the problem and determine whether the existing facility undergoes renovation or a new detention center built.

Short also touched on law enforcement staffing, which he said meets the need in the community. He warned that with the growth of subdivisions and influx of new residents, that could soon change.

County commissioners Mark Peck (D-1) and Jerry Bennett (D-2) approved the plan unanimously. County Commissioner Josh Letcher was absent.

“[Short] covered the basics as we’ve talked over the past couple of years as to what’s on the horizon,” Peck said, reading through the document.

Both commissioners praised Short for putting the roadmap together.

“I’m just trying to keep the public safe and my guys on the road,” Short said.

Officials said that Short’s capital improvement plan was among the first presented by the county’s various departments. In a change this year, department heads will begin planning for big ticket items and submitting those documents to commissioners — and budget officials — for review.

Historically, departments have relied on reserves to pay for capital improvements, McFadden said.