Sheriff urges more dispatchers and animal-control officer as board tentatively approves sheriff budget

The Washington County sheriff asked the Board of Supervisors to add personnel to the sheriff’s office, including four dispatch positions and one animal-control deputy, citing growing call volumes and workload pressures.

At the meeting the sheriff summarized operations: “We have 12 full time dispatchers and 3 part time dispatchers in Washington County,” and said dispatchers answered roughly 100,000 calls annually from 2020–2023 with about 40,000 911 calls last year. He said adding four positions would “allow us to use all of our facility” and equated the request to an additional dispatcher per shift.

The sheriff provided cost estimates. He said current dispatcher pay is $39,627 annually and that four positions with premiums and benefits would total about $249,695.10. He also asked for an animal-control deputy, giving a salary figure of $50,337 and a fully-loaded cost including fringe of $75,408.58.

Board members acknowledged the operational need but repeatedly raised budget constraints. One supervisor noted the county’s limited ability to absorb additional recurring personnel costs in the current budget cycle, and several members said they would look for potential savings or grant funds later in the process. Staff said federal funds exist for some projects but cautioned that those grants may be restricted and that the county’s immediate flexibility is limited.

A motion to approve the budget line as presented (item 24) was moved and seconded; the board voted in favor by voice vote. The approval recorded at the meeting was a tentative approval inside the FY2024–25 budget process; the board said it would revisit and reconcile numbers as the budget process continued.