Tompkins sheriff seeks funding for care teams, two jail officers as sheriff weighs boat purchase

Sheriff Derek Osborne told the Tompkins County Expanded Budget Committee on Sept. 18 that his department is seeking no net new law‑enforcement FTEs in 2026 but wants to make two care‑team pilots permanent and is pressing for two additional correction officers at the county jail.
Why it matters: The sheriff said the county’s mental‑health co‑response care teams have been successful and are being studied by other jurisdictions, and that adding the two correction officers would reduce unsustainable overtime in the jail and respond to a recent Commission of Corrections staffing directive.
Osborne said the law‑enforcement division currently operates two care teams — "which are a mental health clinician paired with a deputy" — and that Team 1 is in the third year of a three‑year pilot; Team 2 is in year two. He asked the committee to include permanent funding so the teams can continue. On corrections he said the jail’s FTE report shows about 49.1 positions and that the department is asking for two new correction officers; the sheriff’s office estimates that hiring those two would cut overtime by about half from projected increases linked to recent contract settlements.
On marine patrol, Osborne said the total cost of a replacement boat is about $182,000 and that state aid can cover roughly 50 percent after purchase. He said the department expects roughly $13,000 in auction proceeds from sale of the current boat (valued about $91,000) and is asking the county for a net $78,363; county administration recommended $58,000. "If I had to pick, I would take the people over the boat or anything else," Osborne said when asked to prioritize.
Budget pressures: Osborne listed several maintenance‑of‑effort increases: training and meal reimbursements for the specialized response team, ammunition (the department said it spent roughly $15,443 so far this year), fuel and departmental equipment connected to a GIVE (gun‑involved violence elimination) program that is budgeted with matching revenue. He noted county administration recommended reductions on some lines (including ammunition), and warned those cuts would “hurt us in that area.”
Corrections details: The jail reported higher and fluctuating inmate populations, rising boarding costs that moved from about $80 a day to around $100 a day at other facilities, an increase in prescription SUBLOCADE use for opioid treatment, and higher costs for prisoner clothing and medical supplies. The sheriff said the jail’s recent staffing analysis from the Commission of Corrections effectively requires adding a correction officer to night shifts and one to day shifts.
What’s next: Legislators asked for a follow‑up on state funding for the boat; Osborne said he would contact state representatives. County administration recommended some but not all of the sheriff’s enhancements. The sheriff left printouts of a staffing report for committee members and said the office would email additional data on care‑team outcomes and dashboards if requested.
Ending: The sheriff emphasized the department’s priority is staffing the jail and sustaining the care teams; on the boat he said the department would try to make up any remaining cost difference from anticipated revenue if the committee approved the purchase.