Brandon Leuallen, The Business Times

Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell told county commissioners on Nov. 6 that proposed budget cuts would reduce deputy staffing and critical operations at a time when call volumes and unfunded, state-mandated costs continue to rise.

This also comes as the Sheriff’s Department is going through its collective-bargaining agreement. 

The presentation, delivered in the Mesa County Commission board room, outlined potentially more than $3 million in cuts to the Sheriff’s Office, including 18 deputy positions and nearly $1 million in operational reductions. It also brought up concerns that the county’s general-fund allocation for law enforcement has steadily declined compared with other departments.

Mesa County Administrator Todd Hollenbeck said staff will review the sheriff’s data and bring a recommendation back to commissioners at a later date. 

$3.1 Million in Cuts and 18 Fewer Deputies

Rowell said his office voluntarily held 20 positions open this year, returning roughly $2 million to the county’s general fund, but the 2026 proposal goes much deeper. 

Slides displayed during the meeting showed a $980,818 reduction in operational line items such as training, emergency management, victim assistance and statutory obligations, potentially impacting up to 10 additional deputies.

Rowell said the county should eliminate unfilled positions outside of the Sheriff’s Office rather than just not filling the positions as employees accept early-retirement severance packages. 

He said the total reduction at the Sheriff’s Office reaches about $3.1 million.

Public Safety Tax Funding Eclipsed by General Fund Reduction

Rowell explained that although the 2017 Public Safety Sales Tax has fully funded 56 deputy positions as promised to voters, those gains have been offset by reductions in the county’s general-fund support, dropping 9 percent. He argued that was not the intention of the tax and was a major concern of the voters when it was being proposed. 

A slide titled General Fund Comparison showed the Sheriff’s Office’s share of Mesa County’s general fund falling from 49 percent in 2016 to just over 40 percent in 2024, while other departments collectively grew their share and staffing.

Mesa County Commissioner Cody Davis asked if there were any grant-funded positions (non general fund) in the job numbers cited by the sheriff, and Rowell said there were some, but it was not known how many. 

Rowell then went back to show that the percentage of the general fund was the main point of contention. 

Doing More with Less

Staffing charts presented Tuesday show the Sheriff’s Office dropping to 207.5 general-funded positions in 2026, down from 225 in 2016, a net loss of 17.5. The department now operates at 1.35 officers per 1,000 residents, below its 1.5 goal, and at the jail there is one deputy for every 5.6 inmates instead of the national standard of 1 to 4.

“We’re still safe, and we have incredible employees that are doing amazing work,” Rowell said. “But if we’re going to cut more positions, it starts making things unsafe.”

The sheriff noted his office continues to maintain a clearance rate of solving crime at above 50 percent, roughly 20 percentage points higher than the state average.

Unfunded Mandates Strain Local Budgets

When asked how unfunded mandates are affecting his budget, Rowell said they have become a big pressure on his department. 

He pointed to one example being a medically assisted treatment program in the county jail, which was initially funded by the state at about $750,000 but is now entirely covered by the county.

“It’s required by law, so things like that significantly impact us, and it impacts the whole county,” he said. 

Commissioner Bobbie Daniel said about 65 percent of all unfunded mandates countywide fall under the Sheriff’s Office. 

Commissioner JJ Fletcher also asked about Senate Bill 25-003, a firearms-training and registry law. Rowell said it could potentially cost the county more than $380,000 to implement, with no new state funding to offset it.

Daniel noted that over the past two years Mesa County has granted 28 percent in wage increases and added 18 full-time positions.

Another member of the Sheriff’s Office at the meeting expressed gratitude for those recent pay increases, but added Mesa County deputies still remain among the lowest paid compared with deputies in similar counties.

Rowell reminded commissioners the Sheriff’s Office is currently engaged in collective bargaining.

“What I am asking for is to fund what I submitted, which is a flat budget,” he said. “I am cutting five positions out of my office to get there.

“As you know, we are going through collective bargaining right now, and there is going to be a cost associated with that as well. For me to cut maybe up to 28 deputies and pretend like I can do anything additional for anybody is impossible.”

What Happens Next

Commissioners acknowledged the difficulty of balancing the county budget amid state and federal pressures.

“This isn’t fun for anyone. We’re fighting hard on the unfunded-mandate front,” Daniel said. “Public safety really does matter to our community, and we’re going to take the time to make sure we get it right.”

Hollenbeck said staff will analyze the sheriff’s materials and bring forward a recommendation at a future meeting.