The Sheriff’s Office 2010 adopted budget is $46.0 million (including capital), the largest operating budget in the County. Of this amount, $36.4 million or 79.2% represents personnel costs for the 438 positions currently authorized.
With a financial management philosophy that emphasizes ownership and accountability, Budget and Logistics provides guidance and assistance to each cost center manager in monitoring and evaluating their revenue and expenditure budgets throughout the year. Financial management responsibilities include the direction and coordination of the Sheriff’s Office annual budget process, accounts payable processing, purchasing, accounting, revenue and expenditure forecasting, and grant administration.
The financial structure within the Sheriff’s Office coincides with the organizational structure and enables functional budgeting of both revenues and expenditures.
Funding Sources
The Sheriff’s Office funding comes from a variety of sources as shown in the graph below.
Sources of Funds» [12KB]
Law Enforcement Authority (LEA)
Tax revenue from the statute-defined Law Enforcement Authority (currently 4.5 mills) is expected to generate $13.5 million in 2010. This mill levy is assessed only in unincorporated Douglas County and is used to primarily fund patrol-related activities in the Sheriff’s Office.
Justice Center Sales & Use Tax
A 0.43% sales tax was approved by voters in 1995. Of this amount, 0.23% was due to sunset as of December 31, 2010. In November of 2007, Douglas County voters approved the extension of this portion of the sales tax. Of the .23% extended, .13% will provide continued funding for capital needs associated with the Justice Center through 2020. The remaining portion, .10%, will assist in funding the costs associated with operating the Justice Center including the jail, courtroom security, Community Justice Services, dispatching, and technological services.
The ongoing portion of the sales tax collected is transferred to the County’s General Fund where the operating costs for functions defined in the original ballot language are housed. The 2010 transfer amount allocated to the Sheriff's Office is expected to be $5.5 million.
Divisional/Grant Funding
The Sheriff’s Office expects to generate a total of $2.8 million in grant and intergovernmental funding, $1.9 million in charges for services, $0.9 million in traffic fines and other revenue. Grant funding is reflected in the fund where the function is housed. Specific grant funding information is available on the grants web page.
General Fund
The net impact on the General Fund is expected to be $21.3 million after applying the offsetting revenue from the Justice Center Sales & Use Tax. The General Fund supports the Sheriff’s statutory functions, administrative and technical functions, communications, and investigations.
Uses of Funds
As mentioned above, over 79% of the Sheriff’s Office overall budget relates to personnel costs for the 438 staff positions currently authorized as shown in the graph below.
Expenditures by Type» [11KB]
Expenditures by Function» [11KB]
Staffing
Of the 438 positions currently authorized, 287.5 are commissioned officer positions and 150.5 are civilian positions in the Sheriff’s Office. A chart showing the number of positions by function is included below.
Full Time Employees by Function» [11KB]
The Sheriff's Office is very fortunate to have such a variety of funding sources, and the Sheriff's Office Grant Administrator and management staff will continue to pursue grant funding opportunities whenever possible. Our commitment to sound fiscal management is vital as we continue to meet the public safety needs of Douglas County citizens in the most cost-effective and efficient way possible.