Sheriff advocates for increase in funding as county budget OK’d

Law enforcement family members, community leaders, deputies and Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino himself made a final plea to county commissioners on Tuesday morning seeking additional funds for the operation of the Sheriff’s Office.

“In the past couple of years there’s been a dramatic change in the county,” Heino said. “We’ve always tried to be conservative with the use of tax dollars and run operations minimally, but we’ve had huge population growth and now we’re falling even more behind.”

Pointing out that while his office has 28 deputies who work patrol, it should have 36, Heino said.

The department has also faced a “mass exodus” of staff in the last year as law enforcement officers seek jobs elsewhere, he noted, while it can take one year to train a new deputy after being hired.

“I work for the people,” Heino told commissioners. “And the people want a service level I can’t provide right now.”

Frank Garner, former Kalispell police chief, advocated for additional funding saying when he routinely worked with the Sheriff’s Office in the 1990s that four deputies were on patrol at one time, and today that number remains the same.

“What concerns me is that we still have those numbers today responding in a county that has grown,” he said. “This is something that impacts all of us. What we’re doing now is going to have impacts on generations to come.”

The commissioners ultimately approved a budget that includes an increase in overall appropriations for the sheriff’s department by about $1.8 million over last year, which equates to a 15% increase.

Commissioner Randy Brodehl acknowledged the comments noting that the commissioners approved funding for two deputy positions that were previously covered by a grant that ended and did add one deputy and position, along with the promise to consider adding two more throughout the year.

The cost for adding a new deputy, including salary, training and a vehicle, amounts to about $182,000, he noted. An additional detention officer was also added.

“I understand this from a public safety standpoint,” Brodehl said. “I get what the needs are out there. We do have limited funds. Our ability to levy taxes is restricted by the state — it’s killing us when we try to deal with the changes that we are facing.”

For the group of funds that include the sheriff’s department, the county is permitted in fiscal year 2023 to levy a total of about 101 mills and it approved a budget that levies 96 mills.

FOR THE county as a whole, commissioners unanimously approved the fiscal year 2023 budget with expenditures totaling $115.6 million. This compares to the previous fiscal year's budget of $117.6 million.

The approved budget will result in a minimal increase in the county portion of property tax bills. The impact to a taxpayer with a $400,000 market value property is about $1, according to the county figures.

The tax levy for fiscal year 2023 is 143.86 mills compared to 143.67 mills last year.

Cash reserves funds supported by property tax dollars are projected to be $20.7 million at the end of the fiscal year, which is just under 30% of the budget.

County Administrator Pete Melnick said cash reserves are an important piece of the budget.

“Price increases in consumables and commodities vex elected officials and department heads alike in their efforts to provide effective service to the public,” he said in his budget memo. “We are proposing a solution and allowing departments to hold higher cash reserves to offset these inflationary pressures next year. Holding higher reserves will allow our departments to draw on much needed funds to maintain continuity of operations.”

Cash reserves won’t exceed the state maximum allowed percentage of 33%, he noted.

In terms of budget expenditures, the county’s capital improvement program totals $13.4 million compared to the $14 million last fiscal year. The budget includes $3.7 million for general government, $3.7 million for public safety, $2 million for public works and $3 million for solid waste.

The estimated tax levy funds for 2023 totals $69.2 million compared to $67 million in 2022, or a 3.2% increase.

In terms of personnel, the county has about 550 full-time employees compared to about 540 in the previous year. In addition to staff in the Sheriff’s Office, it calls for adding a part-time position for the Clerk of Court, a full-time position at the fairgrounds and funding part of a new position for an extension agent. The solid waste department is adding six full-time positions that are being funded through user fees at the landfill and not tax dollars.

The budget includes a 2.5% cost of living adjustment for county personnel which amounts to about $720,300.

Melnick said the county is not immune to labor shortages that are prevalent in both the state and around the country.

“Our goal is to continue to make Flathead County an employer of choice for the many hard-working residents of the valley,” he said. “We will continue to highlight our generous benefits, stable work-life balance, and positive organizational culture to prospective candidates.”

The total taxable value for the county increased from $325.9 million to $337 million with new valuation numbers from the state Department of Revenue. This equates to a 3.4% increase over the F22 valuation total.

Features Editor Heidi Desch can be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com