Cullman County Commission

With the Cullman County Commission set to approve a budget for the coming fiscal year next week at its Sept. 25 meeting, budget talks among commissioners, department heads, and the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office have yielded the usual annual scramble to claim a share of county government’s yearly allotment of limited resources.

The commission held the last of three pre-budget planning sessions Thursday, discussing a number of potentially costly big-ticket items, including balancing a possible health insurance premium increase against a request for $1.5 million in additional funding from the sheriff’s office.

Commissioners also weighed whether, and how, to implement any potential pay increase for county employees in the coming year, including whether to follow a merit-based compensation model or one pegged to increases in cost of living.

The sheriff’s office has asked the commission to pitch in new funding for as many as 22 additional employees for the jail, investigations, patrol, and mental health, as well as help support at least a four percent pay raise for sheriff’s office employees.

Sheriff Matt Gentry and Chief Deputy Brett Holmes told the commission at an earlier planning session that the additional staffing is needed in order to catch up to a dramatic increase in call volume, mental health-related cases, and a surging inmate population at the Cullman County Detention Center.

County administrator Gary Teichmiller said after Thursday’s budget session that commissioners would continue speaking with department heads poring over numbers through the weekend before voting on a final budget proposal at next Tuesday’s commission meeting.

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 145.