PC Sheriff Addresses Public Safety Mill Levy

If you've been following our Phillips County Sheriff's Office Facebook page or saw my letter in the Phillips County News recently, you'll know the dire situation at your Sheriff's Office. I was overwhelmed by the public support of the Sheriff's Office, as well as the phone calls and letters of support the County Commissioners received in response to my letter explaining the current situation the Sheriff's Office was facing. With the Commissioners Generous help, we were able to balance the Sheriff's Office fiscal year 2025 budget and offer a more competitive starting wage for deputies. We are still down two deputies but I have hope that qualified applicants will apply.

To accomplish the balance in the budget, a few cuts were made in spending items but a large portion of revenue was funneled into the revenue side of the equation. The monies that were added were PILT and ARPA money. This was a one-time infusion of revenue and is not sustainable. The current public safety mill levy does not come close to covering the operating costs of the Sheriff's office.

If you've lived in Phillips County for a while, you may recall in2002 the Sheriff's Office came to the voters requesting a public safety mill levy equivalent to $98,300. The voters understanding the importance and necessity of having a well-funded and equipped law enforcement agency graciously passed the mill levy. This was voted on and passed a second time in 2006 at the same amount of revenue.

In 2014 the Sheriff's Office once again approached the voters with a public safety mill levy amounting to roughly an additional $51,700, bringing it to the current total to $150,000 of revenue from the levy. Again, the voters came to the call and passed the mill levy.

I know of other Sheriff's Offices that are wholly supported by the revenue generated from their public safety mill levy. At the present, we pull a considerable amount of mills from the County General fund to operate. This places an undue strain on allocating the remaining monies in the General fund to the various offices that operate under that fund.

Unfortunately, the cost of conducting business has once again brought us to the point of revisiting the issue of the public safety mill levy. Again, this is necessitated by the fact the monies the Commissioners gave this fiscal year are not replenishable. The cost of housing inmates, and purchasing equipment such as 9-l-1 phone systems, radio equipment, patrol vehicles, personnel safety equipment, and other necessary items have increased exponentially over the last 10 years. The budget has increased over three (3) times what it was in 2002. The radio system we are currently using was purchased around 2000 and is in dire need of replacement

With this being said, I sat down with the Commissioners to discuss a necessary level of needed revenue that would ease or eliminate the number of mills the Sheriff's Office has to draw from the General fund, as well as provide adequate funding to operate the Sheriff's Office. Together, we felt that adding an additional 30 mills to the current public safety mill levy would be adequate. This would generate roughly an additional $470,000 in revenue for the Sheriff's Office.

The proposed mill levy would increase your property taxes in the following manner: on a $100,000 market-value property, the cost would be $40.50; on a $300,000 market-value property the cost would be $121.50; on a $600,000 market-value property, the cost would be $243.00.

If you know me personally, you know I hate asking for help for anything. I don't like having to be placed in this situation but when I took the oath of office, I took on the responsibilities of running the Sheriff's Office. I wouldn't be approaching you if this wasn't a necessary endeavor for the future of the Sheriff's Office. Because it is too late to get this issue on the ballot for this next election, a special election will need to be called for next year. I'm hoping the people of Phillips County will come to the call and support the proposed public safety mill levy.