SCOTT SHERIFF WANTS HEFTY BUDGET HIKE

BENTON -- The Scott County Commission is looking to spend about the same amount this fiscal year as it did in 1996-97. One difference is where the money will be going.

Commissioners must approve a budget by Friday and spent most of Tuesday's meeting working on the final draft. The biggest holdup, Presiding Commissioner Bob Kielhofner said, was the sheriff's budget.

"There's not a big difference at all in total spending," Kielhofner said. "It's in the neighborhood of $3 million for the county general revenue fund.

"We haven't signed off on the sheriff's budget yet."

Scott County Sheriff Bill Ferrell is asking for a budget of $972,693 an increase of nearly $200,000 over last year's approved budget of $777,280. He has said he hopes to restructure the sheriff's department.

The sheriff wants to establish a full-time investigative division and supply the circuit court with two more bailiffs. Scott County Circuit Court Judge Anthony J. Heckemeyer said the county needs to add the bailiffs to work all three county courtrooms during precedings, Commissioner Walter Bizzell said.

"The circuit judge says this is a priority," Bizzell said. "We need a bailiff for liability reasons. We've been trying to make one of them do but we're probably going to have to have three of them.

"Three days a week we've got three courtrooms going."

Ferrell has requested $404,950, including $19,250 in overtime benefits, for his office personnel and $280,500, including $13,000 in overtime benefits, for jail personnel. The sheriff's salary is budgeted at $46,000, up from $40,000.

Last year the sheriff was budgeted $315,000 for office personnel and spent $335,700. For the jail personnel he was budgeted $185,000 and spent $187,990.

Ferrell did not return calls to his office Tuesday.

The commission took control of the sheriff department's 10 patrol cars last year in an effort to control mileage expenses.

"It's not a pretty picture. It's a lot of money," Kielhofner said.

He said the commission is unlikely to agree to the entire request and has tentatively agreed to a budget of $940,000 for the sheriff's department.

"We're going to have to pull it out of what we call a cash carryover from last year," Kielhofner said. "It's going to deplete our cash position. The cash available for this year is just going to be depleted. We're going to eat into what cash we started the year with.

"We're going to try to find some additional revenue or caution a lot of other people to slow down on their spending."