WINNEMUCCA — Although the public may be aware it’s been a rough year for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies, with two deputies on long-term light duty due to injuries sustained in attacks by suspects, they may not be aware of the fiscal impact.

Sheriff Ed Kilgore was before the Humboldt County Commissioners on Monday (Dec. 19) to discuss the steadily disappearing overtime budget.

According to Humboldt County Administrator Bill Deist, the sheriff’s office has gone through 70 percent of its overtime budget for patrol – and they’re only half-way through the year.

With at least two staff members on long-term light duty, when  shifts were short due to illness, vacations, or comp time – those shifts were covered with overtime personnel.

The estimated cost of that overtime was $40,000.  Kilgore said overtime pay averages out to about $35/hour.

He added some of the circumstances that drive overtime up are just out of their hands. Despite what happens, they still have to go out and do business.

Not only has the SO been challenged in the patrol division, but they’ve been challenged at the detention center, as well.

It’s been a busy year in court where the sheriff provides a bailiff – sometimes for three courts – transport between the detention center and court, extraditions, and guard duty when inmates are at the hospital.

Kilgore said the overtime for detention was historically high for this time of year but they’ve only gone through about 40 percent budgeted for overtime at the detention center.

In order to mitigate the problem, the sheriff said some of the activities planned for the year will be scaled back.