'Keeping up with costs': Sutter County sheriff highlights department challenges

Nov. 2—As Election Day approaches and with mail-in ballots already sent, officials with Sutter County have been pushing the importance of Measure A, the county's "Essential Services Measure" that is on the Nov. 8 ballot.

The measure calls for an added one cent sales tax for a period of nine years that would bring in about $19 million a year for the county as it struggles to keep up with surrounding jurisdictions who not only have higher sales tax rates but also are able to generate more tax revenue.

A one cent increase is an additional cent on each dollar spent. If the increase is approved by voters, then Sutter County's new retail sales tax rate would be 8.25%.

The county has contended that the additional money is needed so that it can properly fund existing county services, including public safety. Because of what the county views as limitations in its ability to grow and benefit from its current tax base, Sutter County has been put in a position where it must ask voters to consider a sales tax increase in order to not only keep up with surrounding counties and jurisdictions when it comes to recruiting and retaining law enforcement officers and firefighters, but also essential county employees that are already working with limited means.

Sutter County Administrator Steve Smith previously said that because of the county's strong commitment to public safety, other costs and services provided by the county have been affected.

Smith has said that because of Sutter County's unique geography, there are limitations for the type of growth that is possible — growth that could contribute to the type of revenue the county would need.

"The natural features that lend to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life we enjoy come at a cost. They severely restrict the ability of the county to attract economic development and generate revenue for county services," Smith wrote in an editorial that was previously published in the Appeal. "More than 68% of Sutter County's land mass is in either a federal or state designated flood zone, where the cost of raising buildings to a safe elevation is often too great to encourage development. No other California county is handicapped by federal and state flood plain policy to such an extent. (Yolo County, the county with the next highest percentage of its land in a flood zone, is at about half of Sutter County's percentage)."

Smith asserted that Sutter County "has been doing more with less for a long time." According to the county, it has the second fewest employees per capita of the 31 counties within California with a population of 200,000 or fewer.

Recently, Sutter County Sheriff Brandon Barnes came out in support of Measure A and released a video expressing why he had voted for it.

As part of his reasoning for supporting the measure, Barnes mentioned the fact that 51 of 58 counties in California either have a "county or a city in that county" with a similar tax measure already in place.

"These are the jurisdictions that we're competing with for qualified applicants here at the Sutter County Sheriff's Department," Barnes said. "So kind of taking that into consideration, I kind of went through this process to see whether or not I felt that this tax initiative would, one, help the employees of the Sutter County Sheriff's Department and as I looked at that, I felt that it would."

In the video, Barnes also touched on some of the challenges within his department because of a limited tax base and the difficulty in recruiting and retaining quality employees.

The Appeal sent Barnes a series of questions related to these challenges, how the department is handling them, and why Measure A is important for the citizens of Sutter County.

Q: How many deputies does the Sutter County Sheriff's Office currently have?

A: The Sutter County Sheriff's Office consists of 41 allocated Deputy Sheriff positions with 14 current vacancies, however this number is somewhat misleading as 6 of the filled positions are academy recruits that do not graduate until December and they will then have another 4 months of in-house training before they are considered a solo deputy. I am however optimistic we are trending in the right direction. Additionally, there are 54 allocated positions in the Jail with 8 current vacancies. We are continuously recruiting for all vacant positions.

Q: Is this significantly less than previous years? If so, can you explain why?

A: There are more vacancies than in previous years. Our associations have found themselves behind in both salary and benefit packages and our Board of Supervisors have worked to help stabilize our staffing in that respect. However, the market is changing almost daily with other department's offering raises, salary step increases and incentives from $10,000 to $40,000 as hiring bonuses. Retirements and a lack of interest in the profession has caused more vacancies than there are qualified applicants and this impacts the market for services.

Q: How many openings are there in dispatch?

A: This is an area where we are currently working to resolve staffing shortages. We have 13 allocated positions, including supervisory positions, and there are 8 vacancies at this time. We have several applicants currently in backgrounds. Being a Dispatcher is a challenging profession and I have the utmost respect for those that take on this job. This may be an area where local jurisdictions look to consolidate services in the future to help offset some of the recruitment challenges we are facing.

Q: What has the sheriff's department done to make up for decreased staff in dispatch and/or other positions within the department?

A: We have started cross training in key areas. Employees from each of our three divisions have stepped up and agreed to help in other areas. Members of our command staff have even assisted in areas like patrol and dispatch. Regretfully though, this means having to give up some of their duties in their respective areas to help with essential services. However, we feel our best days are ahead of us and there are some positive things taking place in the areas of recruitment and retention.

Q: What impact does decreased department staffing have on the general public?

A: Most of the impacts are not noticeable to the general public but there have been some delays in general response times. However, most may not know that to handle the call volume we have had to reduce staffing in narcotics enforcement, general detectives, homeless enforcement/outreach, court security and boat patrol. Shortages in those areas will have long term effects on our ability to provide public safety services.

Q: During your time around law enforcement, have you ever been in or around a department that had to deal with similar challenges? If so, how did those challenges affect the department and community?

A: I have seen departments carry vacancies in the past but what law enforcement is dealing with now is not something I have seen during my 27 years of experience. There is a lack of interested persons in this profession. Staffing challenges are not unique to Sutter County but the vacancy factor does vary depending on the region. It is important that Sutter County stay competitive so we can hire and retain the most qualified employees.

Q: Why is it important for a department to have experienced deputies and/or staff?

A: I constantly have to weigh liability and do risk assessments. But it might be easier to simply ask, "Wouldn't a person who calls the Sheriff's Office expect a well trained and experienced Deputy to respond to assist them?" We routinely lose experienced deputies to higher paying departments in our local area. With a lack of qualified applicants for this profession, it is important we invest in our employees and work to retain them well into the future.

Q: Why did you vote yes on Measure A?

A: When we did our staffing analysis, we found that we are approximately 14 positions behind comparable counties. We need positions in key areas of the Sheriff's Office. One example is the jail expansion project that opened in 2019. We added additional housing and bed space with no additional positions for our corrections staff. There are various deficiencies in other areas of the Sheriff's Office as well. I want to ensure we are being progressive and not just responding to calls for service. Additionally, I don't see our local revenue streams keeping up with costs associated with providing services or allowing the county to provide competitive salary and benefit packages. This will be a major area of concern in the coming years.

Q: Do you think the passing of Measure A will have an immediate impact on staffing levels within the department?

A: I believe there will be short-term and long-term impacts if Measure A passes. While the county is not likely to see any of the tax revenue until April or May, it will allow for some projections that we can build into the Sheriff's Office budget for next fiscal year. The immediate projections would be for additional staffing to sustain and hopefully enhance services.

Q: What do you think will happen if Measure A doesn't pass?

A: The County may have some tough decisions to make in the near future regarding services being provided to our citizens. We may look to consolidate more services and in some cases potentially eliminate services. As Sheriff, I want to continue to work on those areas that impact quality of life issues, like homelessness for example, but adjustments may be necessary to handle calls for service as a priority.

Q: Are there any misconceptions people have about the department and its current staffing level?

A: I have talked to citizens that are not aware of some of the challenges we are having. Outwardly, services seem the same but credit for that goes to my dedicated staff who have taken on more responsibility and shifts. However, eventually those employees deserve time off to spend with their families and stabilizing our staffing levels will go a long way to helping with morale.