Sheriff offers 2022 annual report highlights

CHEBOYGAN — Sheriff Tim Cook presented his 2022 annual report to the Cheboygan County Board of Commissioners during their meeting on Tuesday, May 23.

Cook started by telling the commissioners he has a great team at the department, and he also thanked the citizens of Cheboygan County for their continued support for law enforcement, as well as the board and other county officials for their support and cooperation.

The budget for the Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department in 2022 was $5,118,686. Road patrol, operations and corrections account for 76 percent of that budget.

“The budget for 2022 was just over $5.1 million with our actual expenditures at $4.7 million,” Cook said. “That gave us an unexpended balance of $375,768, or just over 7 percent we did not use and was transferred back.”

Regarding grants and revenue, Cook said “For 2022 we had just over $2 million in grants and revenue for the sheriff’s department.”

“I feel we should apply for any applicable grants as I feel that tax money spent should come back,” he added.

On the revenue side, Cook said most revenue comes from running the jail.

“There is a cost to doing business and when I can, I put those costs back on the inmates,” he said. “Fees are incurred by those in my jail, they should pay back and not be solely relied upon by the tax dollar.”

Federal grant funds came from the American Rescue Plan Act, Homeland Security, COPS Hiring and the Emergency Management Performance Grant. On the state level, Cook reported that grant money was received by way of the Secondary Road Patrol, 302 training funds, DNR, MiWorks and others. Several local grants and support from the community were also received.

After taking into account revenue generated, Cook said his actual cost for 2022 was $2,647,644.

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Cook also touted taxpayer savings that have been implemented, including in the Work Crew Program, in-house food service and bringing back the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to Cheboygan County.

“The Work Crew Program was instituted in 2015 and has saved the taxpayers over $650,000 over the last three years,” he said.

Cook added that individuals who qualify can accept sentencing by the courts to a community service program rather than jail.

“This allows those individuals to give back to the community. They pay a fee to be part of the program and then work by helping seniors, nonprofits and in other labor areas of municipal governments,” he said.

Cook said bringing back the kitchen has also saved money. In 2019, the county spent $2.5 million to build a kitchen and expand the jail from 83 to 103 beds.

“We currently pay $2.31 per meal through a contracted vendor who uses our kitchen,” he said. “We did look into an outside source locally but the costs were going to be as much as three times what we pay today.”

Cook said that program alone saves the county taxpayers well over $100,000 a year. In less than 20 years, the investment in the kitchen and expansion will have paid for itself.

More: Cheboygan County Search and Rescue is ready to respond in any weather

Cook highlighted the work of his road patrol, corrections, recreational division, OEM and administrative staff, as well as the operation teams. The Cheboygan County Sheriff's Department has a certified dive team, search and rescue team and K-9.

“We get several calls per year for search and rescue on land and water,” Cook said. “We cover 740 square miles with vast amount of woods and heavy cover swamps, not to mention the lakes.”

The search and rescue team is made up of members of the department and 40 members of volunteer fire departments throughout the county.

“Last year, we had 11 call outs with 100 percent success, and that is a testament to the dedication and training that the search and rescue and dive team goes through,” Cook said.

One of the things Cook said he was most proud of was the community outreach and the volunteer work that the men and women of the department do.

“We have members that coach sport teams, belong to civic and other nonprofit organizations, participate in the Red Neck Parade for the food pantry, Shop with a Hero, Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign, Torch Run for Special Olympics, Turkey Traffic Stops, Coats for Kids and much more,” he said.

Cook added that they understand the importance of community interaction “and I am proud of them for that.”

Goals for the department in 2023 and into the future include continued training, community education programs, building a juvenile holding facility and working with stakeholders to come up with solutions for mental health issues in county jails.

To see Cook’s full report, visit cheboygancounty.net.

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Sheriff offers 2022 annual report highlights