Department loses money to pay deputies
The Madison County Sheriff’s Department is losing more than $36,000 in grant money this year from the Deputy Sheriff’s Salary Supplementation Fund, but the department is appealing the decision.
The grant helps pay salaries of deputies who make less than $28,000 a year. The grant is through the Missouri Department of Public Safety.
Madison County Presiding Commissioner Bob Mooney said the Madison County Sheriff’s Department lost the grant because monthly Uniform Crime Reports were not turned in for several months. The grant was scheduled to pay $36,367.68 in supplemental income to Madison County deputies.
“The county can’t make up the difference and there is not enough revenue in the sheriff’s budget,” Mooney said. “He will have to find a way to make budget cuts to make up the difference for the salaries.”
The fund is generated through a surcharge on services performed by county law enforcement agencies in Missouri. It is used solely to benefit the salaries and increases in benefits such as FICA, Medicare, Workman’s Comp and pensions that result from salary increases. Any Missouri sheriff’s department can apply. The funds are administered by the Missouri Sheriff Methamphetamine Relief Task Force. This board consists of five county sheriffs approved by the governor.
During Monday’s Madison County Commissioners meeting, Madison County Sheriff Robert “Bobby” Spain said he contacted Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer and plans to meet with the other sheriffs on the board who will be hearing the appeal.
“I talked to Deputy (Lawrence) Atlas who was in charge of the crime reports being submitted each month,” Spain said. “He gave me his resignation and this ultimately falls on my shoulders because I am in charge of these things getting done.”
Spain said Atlas turned in his resignation June 20.
The sheriff said he has contacted Boyer about the appeal for the grant and he hopes to have an answer this week. If the county loses the appeal, the sheriff says he has a plan.
“We will cross that bridge when we get to it,” he said. “My officers in my department are standing behind me and keep working on getting grants to keep the department running.”
Mooney said one option the department has is to lose another deputy to make up the difference.
Spain said they are trying to make things work without having to make cuts or layoff anyone in the department. Spain said the department doesn’t have a lot of equipment to work with, but they are trying to improve that with grants.
“We are working on filling out grants every day. The times are tough right now,” said Spain. “I work in the field as much as my guys do.”
Spain said the grant is for any department where the deputies do not make $28,000. It makes up the difference in salaries. There are about seven counties who were cut from the grant this year. He said he plans on applying again next July for the grant which runs from July to July.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Department is appealing a decision to cut more than $36,000 of grant money for their deputies’ salaries through the Deputy Sheriff’s Salary Supplementation Fund.
Maridee Lawson is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-783-3366 or mlawson@dailyjournalonline.com
