Sheriff continues push for drug task force funding
UPDATE: Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich responded to Commissioner Shelly O'Quinn's criticism by questioning why the County Commission has not held public budget hearings in recent years to address the needs of individual departments.
"Perhaps if they had budget meetings like we use to we could have face to face discussions before they set budgets," Knezovich wrote in an email, responding to the original blog post. "They have not had budget hearings in 3 years."
Knezovich said he and his staff informed commissioners at a meeting in August they would be underfunded in 2015 by about $1 million. He disputes claims that the issue was sprung on commissioners in January.
"It is disingenuous for O’Quinn to then say that we just popped over in January and surprised them with this news," Knezovich wrote.
The original blog post follows.
ORIGINAL POST: Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich is continuing his pleas for funding from County Commissioners to save a drug task force targeting mid- to high -level trafficking.
"I lose my entire narcotics operation," Knezovich told commissioners Al French and Shelly O'Quinn on Tuesday. Lt. John Knowles earlier told commissioners without more money from county coffers, the Spokane Regional Drug Task Force would run out of money in October.
Tuesday's presentation followed a similar plea from Knezovich in October, and a news conference in January during which the sheriff said the task force would be insolvent by June. Knowles said the task force had moved some money and employees around, giving them a reprieve for several months, but declining grant dollars and money seized from drug raids have imperiled the task force for many years.
"If we can get Spokane County and the City of Spokane Valley, with just salary and benefits 100 percent, we can maintain" adequate funding reserves, Knowles said. That price tag would be about $370,000 annually, he added.
Commissioner Shelly O'Quinn said she was hesitant to approve that money because the sheriff is also asking for an additional $1 million to pay overtime to deputies who are filling shifts for about 16 vacant positions with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office. Knowles said the office was having difficulty attracting high-quality candidates with a background in law enforcement because of character issues.
"When the sheriff comes in three weeks into the new year and says he needs an extra million dollars, and we're only three weeks into the budget, it's just - there's credibility issues there," O'Quinn said.
Knezovich reiterated that he'd go before voters and campaign for a two-tenths of a cent sales tax increase to pay for public safety services. The sheriff estimates that would bring in about $9 million annually.
After a spate of generosity at the polls, Spokane voters turned down a three-tenths sales tax increase to pay for transportation services at the ballot box last week but did approve an extension of a one-tenth sales tax for juvenile detention services.
Commissioners took no action on Knezovich's request Tuesday.
