LAKEPORT >> During the mid-year budget review, which was held by the Lake County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, multiple changes to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office budget were proposed and approved.
First, a position re-allocation changing a vacant secretary position to a sheriff-coroner assistant was requested. Under former Sheriff Frank Rivero the sheriff-coroner assistant position was eliminated.
Additionally, $75,000 has been allocated to purchase bullet resistant vests. The amount was recently approved through a memorandum of understanding with the Deputy Sheriff’s Association.
A $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the murder of Christopher Way in Lucerne has also been added to the budget. Way, 51, was shot April 22 at about 10:40 p.m. by an unidentified man on 12th Avenue. He succumbed to his injuries on the way to an out-of-county hospital.
Because of turnover in staffing, an increase of $44,000 to provide psychological evaluations, physicals and background investigations will be allocated to the probation budget, as well as an increase of $30,000 for training newly hired officers. However, revenues in the probation budget are expected to fall short by approximately $200,000.
According to Lake County Administrative Officer Matt Perry, a reduction in salary saving will offset the shortfall.
The rural and small counties budget, which was depleted after transferring $1.2 million for the jail expansion project, will receive $600,000, with part of the higher than anticipated General Fund balance carry-over to provide $600,000 to the jail expansion project.
The redeposited money will go toward body cameras for officers and mobile data terminals that will record officer speed and location, with a remaining balance of $320,000 for other uses which have not been determined at this point. The body cameras will cost $30,000, while the mobile data terminals will cost $250,000.
As for the sheriff’s inmate welfare budget, balance carry-over is a little more than $23,000 greater than estimated.
Money in the Search and Rescue, as well as the DNA and asset forfeiture budgets, which total a little less than $304,000, $190,000 and $227,000, respectively, are limited by restricted use. Therefore the money will be transferred to the supplies and services budget, as well as the inventory budget, making the money available for qualifying expenditures.
A total of approximately $15,000 of unexpected revenue in special victims grant money will be used to reimburse eligible staffing costs/
No adjustments were made to the marijuana suppression, court security, marine patrol, vehicle replacement or criminal justice facilities budgets.
The board unanimously approved the mid-year budget review, as well as all recommendations.
