County Commissioners and Village of Hardin discuss costs of Sheriff’s Office

By Editor | May 15, 2024 |

By Steven Spencer

Commissioners Phil Robeen and Terry Woelfel along with Chief Deputy Zach Hardin from the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office were present at the Hardin Village board meeting on Wednesday, May 8, to discuss operating costs of the Sheriff’s department and see if the village could contribute to the annual expenses.
“We just wanted to bring to light the financing of the Sheriff’s department and the amount of calls that do come from Hardin,” Robeen said.
With three full-time deputies, a part-time deputy and all of the dispatching needs, Robeen said the county general spends around $596,975 a year. The cost is expected to go up with the need for a new vehicle and new equipment. Robeen said they expect the cost to increase to $693,602.
With Hardin no longer having their own police force and having a higher population, about 70% of the calls to the Sheriff’s department are regarding incidents in Hardin.
“What we are asking for here tonight is your consideration in paying a salary for one of our officers going forward, if that is at all possible,” Robeen said. “It would also be nice to fund half of a police vehicle every other year.”
Mayor David Hurley agreed that with being the largest village in the county the likelihood of crime occurring is more likely but asked if any other villages had been approached about contributing to the costs. Commissioner Robeen said they have approached other villages as well and were not trying to put the burden only on Hardin.
“The plan is to hire another full-time officer and eliminate a lot of the part-time 1,400 hours that you’re seeing,” Robeen said. “The plan would be to try and fund another officer full-time and probably do away with part-time.”
With limited personnel, the addition of another officer will allow for more time for responding to calls as well as other work such as drug investigations.
“It’s just nearly impossible for them to cover everything,” Woelfel said. “I think it’s something that needs deep consideration from the city.”
After a discussion among the board about where the funds could come from, they agreed to give the information to the financial committee so that options can be presented to the county.
“We just wanted to let you guys know the situation. It’s getting rough and we got to find some money for officers,” Robeen said.