Sheriff candidate Jason Barnes: 'Mental health is our hands down our biggest obstacle' in Madison County

At a Madison County Republican forum, Jason Barnes, candidate for sheriff, said mental-health cases and jail population needs are the sheriff’s most urgent operational problem and that the office must plan and budget to meet unpredictable demands.

Barnes told attendees that deputies must be accessible across the county and that the office manages tight line-item budgets — for example, small inmate medical lines can be exhausted by a single ER visit. "Watch our spending," Barnes said, adding that forecasting the number of people who will need jail care, medical attention or other services is difficult.

On mental health, Barnes said jails have become a default provider of care and that officers are working to move people into appropriate treatment settings when possible. "We have an inmate in our jail right now who does not belong in that jail ... we're working real hard to get him out," Barnes said, describing efforts to place the person in more suitable care.

Barnes also described operational budgeting mechanics — noting his office budgets for an average inmate population (he said his office is budgeted for 10 but averaging six) and that underspent line items return to the general fund. He said the board of supervisors is willing to reallocate funds when needs are justified.

Barnes framed his approach as pragmatic: maintain services, forecast needs, and explain line items to the board to avoid surprises for taxpayers. The sheriff’s comments came alongside other candidates’ calls for countywide spending control and oversight of capital projects.