Budgets by the numbers
Butler Counthy Sheriff’s Office - 2012 budget $28,541,018, 2011 budget $27,265,825.27, 2010 budget $27,915,748.73 and 2009 budget $30,093,589.98.
Warren County Sheriff’s Office - 2012 budget $15,917,127, 2011 budget $15,597,766, 2010 budget $15,597,785 and 2009 budget $16,367,894.
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office - 2012 budget $26,831.551, 2011 budget $28, 81,136 2010 budget $28,688.004 and 2009 budget $32,246,772.
Source: 2011 U.S. census and Butler, Warren and Montgomery county auditor’s office and sheriff’s offices.
Sheriff’s Office staffing and workload comparison
Butler County Sheriff’s Office Peer Avg. Difference Percent Difference
Total residents: 363,184; 330,175; 33,009, 10 percent
Total Sheriff’s Office FTEs: 336.9; 246.8; 90.1; 36.5 percent
Total FTEs per 10,000 residents: 9.3; 7.7; 1.6; 20.2 percent
Total Square Miles: 467; 441; 26; 5.8 percent
Square Miles per Sheriff’s Office FTE: 1.4; 2.0; (0.6); (30.3 percent)
Total Violent Crime Offenses: 67; 156; (89); (57.1 percent)
Total Property Crime Offenses 1: 832; 1,366; (534); (39.1 percent)
Total Offenses: 899, 1,522; (623), (40.9 percent)
Total Arrests: 5,117; 2,127; 2,991; 140.6 percent
Total Traffic Citations: 3,434; 4,039; (605); (15 percent)
Sworn Deputy Workload Ratios
Total Sworn Deputy FTEs: 96; 71.8; 24.2; 33.7 percent
Road Patrol Sworn Deputy FTEs: 93.0; 43.0; 50.0; 116.3 percent
Sworn Deputy FTEs per 10,000 Residents: 2.6; 2.1; .5; 23.6 percent
Source: Ohio Auditor’s Office
The Butler County Sheriff’s Office employs more employees and has a budget close to $2 million more than like-sized counties, including Montgomery County which has 100,000 additional residents, records show.
At a time when county departments are being asked to consider expense cuts for 2013 to make up for a $2 million expected deficit, Sheriff Richard K. Jones defends his staffing levels and budgets.
Jones said his budget reflects the amount of prisoners in his jail and the revenue it generates from housing federal prisoners and inmates from other counties.
“I bring $10 million a year into the general fund through prisoner housing and contracts,” Jones said, noting “take what I bring in out and my budget is $18 million.”
A county performance audit of department conducted by the state auditor’s office at the commissioner’s request and released in late 2011 criticized the sheriff’s office, saying “it has high total staffing, sworn deputy staffing and road patrol staffing when compared to peer averages.”
The audit shows the sheriff’s office responded to less violent and property crimes and gave less citations than peers across the state, in spite having higher staffing.
This year, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office budget is $28.5 million with 365 employees. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s office budget is $26.8 million with 251.5 employees. And Warren County, with a much lower population and less urban area, has a budget of $15.9 million and 192 employees.
Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer said the audit and budget comparisons do not take into account the millions of dollars in annual revenue produced by prisoner housing and contracts with townships and other county agencies to provide dedicated coverage.
“There is a trade off. We have to have someone to guard the prisoners, but it is not a one for one thing,” Dwyer said.
The Warren County sheriff’s office was once one of Butler County jail’s biggest customers, but restructuring of its own jail now keeps inmate in house.
The Montgomery County Jail, which can house 960 inmates, also has a contract to house 30 to 50 federal prisoners.
Another reason for the large employee numbers is the sheriff’s office contract with Liberty Twp, according to Dwyer. It skews the personnel count, Dwyer said, noting 24 officers on the sheriff’s payroll are funded exclusively from the residents of Liberty Twp. for around the clock patrol and detectives in that township.
“Without that contract, we would not employ those officers,” Dwyer said.
However, records show Montgomery and Warren counties have similar contracts with townships for deputy patrols.
Warren County has a contract with Deerfield Twp. and South Lebanon/Union Twp. for dedicated public safety. Twenty-five deputies are employed in Deerfield and five in South Lebanon/Union Twp. The department also part of a regional SWAT and drug units.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has contracts with Washington, Harrison and Jefferson Twp. Those contacts employ a total of 78 deputies, according to Sheriff Phil Plummer.
The SWAT and drug units are also regional and Plummer said plans call for a deputy to join the Dayton Bomb Squad.
“It is a cost saving measure,” Plummer said. “Over the past four years I have been cut by $6 million.”
Since 2009, the sheriff’s office budget has reflected funds dedicated to operating the county’ 800 megahertz radio system. A sales tax increase was approved to purchase and maintain the system. That means $2.3 million is apart of the sheriff’s office 2012 adopted budget, but is earmarked for the radio system, according to Jones.
In the past six years, Jones said he has cut $7 million to $8 million from his budget and closed down jail space to save money.
“I run the sheriff’s office like a business and I consider myself the CEO of the business,” Jones said. “Taxpayers hire me to run an efficient organization and I do it as wisely as possible.”
Commission President Don Dixon said he disagreed with the decision to build the main jail facility on such a large scale, but “it is there and so is the debit, so the sheriff is almost forced to try to make revenue from it.”
Dixon is not critical of the sheriff’s budget.
“He is delivering the services that people have come to expect,” Dixon said. “And he has made cuts.”
Commissioner Charles Furmon said he believes the sheriff’s office budget is “top heavy.”
But Jones is quick to point out that all three commissioners have approved his budgets for the past three years.
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