(The Center Square) – Spokane County ran through the Sheriff’s Office 2025 budget request on Monday, which is 14.7% more than budgeted for 2024 as departments brace for revenue shortfalls countywide.
The Board of County Commissioners has spent the last several weeks working through each department’s 2025 requests as revenues struggle to meet projections. The shortfalls resulted in the commissioners asking each department to try and match next year’s expenditures to 2024.
Chris Wiese, director of business operations for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, briefed the board on the department’s $62.16 million request, which he said didn’t include capital expenditures. The 2025 request is $7.97 million, or 14.7%, more than budgeted for 2024.
“Eighty two percent of that $7.9 [million] is salaries [and benefits],” Wiese said. “That includes the 10 unfunded positions of this year that were dropped in there.”
Overtime expenses are also increasing by $356,000, or 7.2%, due to around 30 currently unfilled positions. Undersheriff Kevin Richey said they’re hiring, but the department won’t see a reduction in overtime until 2026 due to the time it takes to get deputies trained and on patrol.
The state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program also takes a toll on the department. He said at any given time, there are usually around 20 deputies using the program at a time.
“It’s so fluid because we have people coming and going,” Richey said. “Someone will call me and say, ‘What’s our vacancies,’ and I’ll say, ’30,’ and then tomorrow it’ll be 32 and then the next day it’ll be 28.”
Maintenance and operational expenses are increasing by over $1 million compared to 2024, taking that category up 13.5%. Wiese said it’s an increase for now, but recent negotiations fixed some of those expenses for the next decade, meaning it’ll prove a cost-saver in the future.
However, Spokane County isn’t responsible for all the costs associated with the Sheriff’s Office; several surrounding municipalities also contract with the SCSO for law enforcement services.
Wiese said Spokane County is only responsible for the unincorporated areas, representing about 38.9% of the general fund request. Most of the remaining funding for the $62.16 million request will come from contracts with Spokane Valley and other neighbors using the SCSO.
Spokane County’s portion only accounts for $24.18 million of the total request, which is still $3.1 million, or 14.7%, more than its commitment for 2024.
“It was a simple math exercise: 38% of the $7.9 [million],” Weise said.
The Board of County Commissioners will continue working through the 2025 budget process over the coming weeks and months, but it does not guarantee that any requests will receive 100% funding.
