Sheriff: Inflation leads to increases in budget

BENTONVILLE — Meyer Gilbert presented the justices of the peace with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office’s 2023 proposed budget.

Gilbert, the chief deputy of the Sheriff’s Office, made the presentation during Tuesday’s Finance Committee meeting in the Quorum Courtroom at the Benton County Administration Building.

He told justices of the peace many items in their budget had increased because of inflation.

The Sheriff’s Office’s proposed budget for next year is $16.2 million while the budget for the jail is $13.6 million. The budget for the Sheriff’s Office this year is $15.2 million and $11.8 million on the jail side.

The Sheriff’s Office is requesting 15 new Tahoes in the 2023 budget. The vehicles will cost $615,000, said Brenda Peacock, the county’s comptroller.

Peacock said the Sheriff’s Office purchased 15 Tahoes for $561,00 in the current budget.

Gilbert told the justices of the peace the office will soon obtain the vehicles in this year’s budget.

He said the new vehicles will replace older ones in the fleet. The vehicles will be assigned based on the age of a deputy’s patrol vehicle and not based on any deputy’s seniority.

Sheriff Shawn Holloway asked the justices of the peace last month to fund 15 new positions in the 2023 budget at a cost of nearly $1 million.

He requested 10 new positions for jail deputies, four field deputies and one person for the information technology department.

The cost of the new employees are included in next year’s proposed budgets for the Sheriff’s Office and jail.

The projected general fund budget for next year is $56.4 million, and the road budget is $15.3 million. This year’s budgets are $51.5 million for the general fund and $14.6 million for roads.

Peacock said the 2023 budget will be an 8.47% increase over this year’s budget.

Benton County Judge Barry Moehring introduced Deborah Fischer, the county’s new comptroller, to the justices of the peace at the meeting. She is replacing Peacock who will be leaving at the end of the year.

Fischer is currently the director of accounting for Hidalgo County in Texas. She will start Oct. 17, Moehring said.

Fischer said she is familiar with Northwest Arkansas because she has family living in the area. Fischer introduced herself via telephone.

Tom Allen, the justice of the peace who chairs the Finance Committee, said he met with Fischer and was very impressed by her.

“We are very fortunate to have her come aboard and be a part of the team,” he said.