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9 <br /> Commissioner Portie-Ascott said when she toured the detention center last year, she <br /> learned about the staffing there. She asked if there is still only one person in the tower. <br /> Sheriff Blackwood said they added a few last year but they are still not fully staffed. He <br /> said there is a new staffing study underway. <br /> Chief Deputy Sykes said that if staffing allows, they try to have two people in the tower. <br /> Commissioner Richards said she understands there is a change in the system for <br /> accounting, but it seems like overtime has also increased. She asked why that is. <br /> Sheriff Blackwood said overtime is built into the schedules of deputies. He said a huge <br /> portion is UNC Football and NCDOT overtime and they get paid back for those. He said that there <br /> were times that deputies were abusing the privilege, but now there is a policy in place that dictates <br /> when deputies can clock in. <br /> Chief Deputy Sykes said she cross references clock ins and outs with geo-tracking. She <br /> said there are checks and balances to make sure its accurate. <br /> Commissioner Richards asked if preapproval is needed for overtime. <br /> Chief Deputy Sykes said there is scheduled overtime for deputies just as there is for EMS. <br /> She said anything above a 12-hour day, that is additional hours that is paid at an overtime rate. <br /> Commissioner Richards said policy and procedure would determine the way that overtime <br /> is permitted and paid, and the software would only reflect what is put into it. <br /> Chief Deputy Sykes said they get paid for the hours they work and any training hours. <br /> Sheriff Blackwood said if someone turns in overtime it is reviewed and approved based <br /> on policy. <br /> Commissioner Richards said it looks like the budget number is somewhat off in certain <br /> areas that are going down like larceny. <br /> Sheriff Blackwood said they met today with the Dodge dealership, and they have been <br /> discussing maintenance costs. He said that the Dodge dealership and another company have <br /> provided quotes. He said that it became apparent that shopping around every 5 years for contracts <br /> is a good idea. He said he is also looking at inmate medical costs. He asked Chief Deputy Sykes <br /> to provide more information. <br /> Chief Deputy Sykes said at the end of the year, they run out of money, and they hope to <br /> run that better and make sure that they are not switching money from bucket to bucket. <br /> Commissioner Fowler asked if there is a policy for contract renewal and putting things <br /> back out to bid. <br /> Travis Myren said the Sheriff doesn't have to adhere to the policies of the county, but <br /> Sheriff Blackwood is interested in doing that. <br /> Commissioner McKee asked if Sheriff Blackwood is running into the same issues with <br /> starting salaries vs. neighboring counties. <br /> Sheriff Blackwood said it wasn't an issue at this time last year, but there is a lot of <br /> competition. He said regardless, they are doing a great job of recruiting staff, and they are <br /> attracted to his office because of reasons above just pay. <br /> Commissioner McKee said he understands that overtime is built in, but asked if additional <br /> staff would alleviate that. <br /> Sheriff Blackwood said he has two openings in the jail and six in the patrol division. He <br /> said he has no room to put any additional staff and are out of space. <br /> Chief Deputy Sykes said in the detention center, additional staff would help alleviate <br /> overtime, but not on patrol. <br /> Travis Myren said Matrix will look at that with the staffing study. <br />