Cleveland County Budget Board approves budget amid tense debate over Sheriff’s funding

The Cleveland County Budget Board approved next year’s budget on Thursday, but not without heated debate, particularly over the sheriff's office's sharply reduced funding request.

Sheriff Chris Amason had asked for a budget increase of nearly $15 million, totaling nearly $26 million. The board denied that request.

“Who did this to my budget?” Amason asked during a tense exchange. “I’m asking who decided those numbers?”

Board members responded that the request was simply unrealistic.

“They are basically giving us the same amount of money we had this year and this year we laid off 30 employees,” said Sheriff Amason

This year, the total proposed estimates of need submitted by county offices and agencies exceed anticipated revenues and allocable funds by nearly $14 million.

“We all have to live within a budget no matter what that is and the county has a set amount of revenues, we have a set amount of expenses what we try to do,” said Cleveland County Commissioner Rod Cleveland.

Board members also pointed to a recent state audit on the sheriff’s office. The audit found a pattern of financial mismanagement in the sheriff’s office, concluding it overspent its budget by about $4 million.

“We're here to hold him accountable. He can cry all he wants, but he's gotta answer the question,” Reynolds said. “Did he willfully disregard the information at hand or did he simply not understand?”

Sheriff Amason maintains that his office has already addressed the issues cited in the audit.

“We’ve acknowledged what the audit said, we’ve corrected those issues and it’s time to move on,” said Sheriff Amason. We're going to be okay no matter what number they came back with us. We will continue to function at the level we're at and provide a good service to our citizens, and we'll find way we can overcome this hit.”

Despite the cut, the sheriff’s office will still receive significant support this fiscal year. The sheriff’s total budget will exceed $20 million, with added funding from other departments, tax revenue, and his cash fund.

Here’s a breakdown the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office is expected to receive:

1. Total from General Fund: $11,418,384.00 (this is the exact amount of money CCSO received from the General Fund during FY24- 25)
2. $1,493,234.00 was added to the Building Maintenance Department earmarked for CCSO projects, such as jail maintenance and an upcoming move into the new sheriff’s office, once complete.
3. $300,000 in additional funding was added to the IT Department’s budget, earmarked for CCSO computers and dispatch.
4. Each year, the CCSO receives $3,000,000 from the Public Safety Sales Tax
5. Each year, the CCSO receives money in his Cash Fund, estimated at $5,500,000 for the upcoming fiscal year.
6. Finally, the Cleveland County Justice Authority has funds available that must be spent on specific types of needs, many of which are jail related. The Sheriff would need to submit a request for those funds outlying the specific project and the total estimated cost that the funds would go toward for approval.