Clayton County Sheriff's Office requests additional funding

“One amount exceeded $400,000 that we had to reimburse an employee and another amount exceeded $300,000 that we had to reimburse an employee,” he said. “These come from my current year budget.”

Allen's request, which the board unanimously approved, comes as management of the sheriff's office has become a central issue in the debate over whether he should keep his job.

The sheriff has been criticized by opponents and Clayton residents for repeatedly returning to the commission over the past year to secure funds to keep the department and Clayton County Jail operational.

In May 2023, Allen received $3.6 million from the county to hire 33 additional deputies. In September, he requested an additional $6.5 million for a temporary modular prison to address overcrowding.

A month later, he requested but was denied $14.6 million for additional staff in the sheriff's office, to fence off the jail's reception area and to obtain new equipment, such as Tasers and body cameras.

In April, he requested and received $14.8 million in a 3-1 vote, after the sheriff's office claimed he had enough funds to pay a month's salary before running out of money.

Commissioner DeMont Davis, who voted against the $14.8 million request in April, questioned why the office was strapped for cash so soon after a major cash infusion and what was being done to ensure that this does not become a routine problem.

“I have a lot of difficulty understanding that, given the $14.8 million, now $1.6 million,” he said. “These are things we all need to start thinking about. Otherwise, our taxpayers and homeowners are going to take a big hit next fiscal year because the millage rate has to increase to begin to deal with this.

He added: “We have experienced this twice in the last 60 days. I think we deserve an answer to some of these questions, so that we don't sink further into the quicksand that I think we're getting into.”

Allen blamed the shortfall on spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on part-time staff to fill the shortage of correctional officers compared to years past. Earlier this year, he told the commission the sheriff's office had funds to hire up to 165 correctional officers. That number has dropped to 123, he said.

He added that of the $1.6 million he requested Tuesday, about $440,000 was for prisoner transportation over the past six months. The remaining funds would be used to cover increased medical and food costs as well as overtime for sheriff's staff.

Commission Chairman Jeff Turner, who is running against Allen for sheriff and is vying with him for the job later this month, appeared to tread lightly to avoid using the issue to beat your opponent. But he appeared to channel the board by asking whether Tuesday would be the last time Allen appeared before the commission before the end of the fiscal year.

“Is this going to be enough?” he said. “Is this what’s going to happen on July 1?”