To the editor,

For the past eight years, Sheriff Palmer has presented a balanced budget each spring to the budget committee. However, for five out of the last eight years, prior to June 30th (end of the fiscal year) he has had to go before the county commissioners to request more general fund dollars be transferred to his department to meet expenditures.

In a recent Blue Mountain Eagle article, he boasted about the money he’d brought into the general fund budget for bed rentals in the jail. He didn’t mention that the monies he brought in were then transferred to his departmental budget to cover prisoner expenses. I would ask you to check what the actual expenditures were to the county for room, board, clothing, medical and staffing for these prisoners.

All of the articles discuss the revenue received, but none of the articles discuss the expenses incurred in the sheriff’s department. For five out of the last eight years the county has had to do budget transfers to cover expenses. The past eight years, all of the sheriff’s department general fund revenue was $3,067,447. The sheriff’s department general fund expenditures for the past eight years have been $7,219,950.

I believe if you are going to discuss revenue, the public should know about the over-spending of expenditures. These budget figures are public record and available to anyone upon request from the county treasurer. I urge you to check with the county treasurer for amounts originally requested and actual expenditures for the sheriff’s department for the past eight years.

Carolyn Caldwell

Grant County Budget Committee member