To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Sheriff Eddie Engram, 565-2650, Connie Newton, 565-8884
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Addition of Time-Limited Sheriff’s Lieutenant
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a Resolution amending the Sheriff’s Office Department Allocation List to add 1.0 Time-Limited Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Sheriff’s Lieutenant, effective March 31, 2026, to support staffing shortages in the Sheriff’s Patrol Bureau.
B) Adopt a Resolution to appropriate $103,159 of fund balance from the Sheriff’s Donation / Escheatment fund to finance the FY 25-26 cost of the time-limited position.
end
Executive Summary:
The Sheriff is requesting authorization to add a time-limited Sheriff’s Lieutenant to the Sheriff’s Patrol Bureau to alleviate critical staffing shortages. This position will be paid for with one-time special revenue funds, described in the Fiscal Narrative section below, for a period of 18 months, and will have no impact on the General Fund. Approval of the request is essential to maintain critical supervisory staffing levels within the Sheriff’s Patrol Bureau.
The estimated cost of the time-limited position is approximately $413,000 per year or $620,000 for the 18 months of this request. The Sheriff’s Office has identified fund balances, both one-time funding sources: $220,000 from Donation / Escheatment Special Revenue Fund. The funds being used for this requires are escheatment funds, which are funds accumulated from unclaimed property and $400,000 from the Public Safety Realignment Local Law Enforcement fund which is used to enhance law enforcement activities and the Sheriff’s Office uses it to offset law enforcement officer costs.
Discussion:
The Sheriff’s Office has four Patrol Lieutenants assigned as “Watch Commanders”. The Watch Commander is a supervisory sworn position responsible for the overall management, coordination, and oversight of patrol operations during an assigned shift. Watch Commanders provide this oversight 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. The Watch Commander serves as the on-duty command authority, ensuring public safety, officer safety, and compliance with department policies and procedures. In addition to this supervision, Watch Commanders serve as liaisons to numerous partners, workgroups, and other county departments and are assigned a number of additional duties, in addition to their primary responsibilities. Two of the Sheriff’s Office four Watch Commanders are out on extended leave. Other lieutenants have been assisting, but a more sustainable solution is needed.
To temporarily remedy the issue, the Sheriff’s Office is requesting approval to add a time-limited lieutenant allocation for 18 months. The Sheriff’s Office has identified one-time funding for this request, described below, and is not requesting any additional funding through the General Fund. Sheriff’s managers collaborated with County Human Resources and the County Executive’s Office to determine that adding this time-limited allocation is the best solution to meet the conditions of this situation.
If approved, the Sheriff’s Office plans to add a time-limited lieutenant allocation for 18 months, alleviating the urgent need. Over the next 18 months, Sheriff’s staff will monitor the staffing and budget to determine if the time-limited position will need to be extended.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
None.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY25-26 Adopted |
FY26-27 Projected |
FY27-28 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
|
|
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
$103,159 |
$412,636 |
$104,205 |
|
Total Expenditures |
$103, 159 |
$412,636 |
$104,205 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
$103,159 |
$412,636 |
$104,205 |
|
General Fund Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$103,159 |
$412,636 |
$104,205 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The estimated cost of the time-limited position is approximately $413,000 per year or $620,000 for the 18 months of this request. The Sheriff’s Office has identified fund balances, both one-time funding sources, in two different funds to pay for the time-limited allocation. The first fund is the “Donation / Escheatment” Special Revenue Fund (a one-time funding source) and will cover $220,000 of the costs of this request. The fund accumulates balance from unclaimed property and donations. The Board of Supervisors approves the transfer of unclaimed property to this fund through Resolutions, where funds have accumulated over several years. The unclaimed property intended use is for one-time funding that supports projects at the Sheriff’s Office as approved by the Board of Supervisors. The second funding source is the Public Safety Realignment Local Law Enforcement fund and will cover $400,000 of this request. Funds are allocated to counties for enhancing law enforcement activities. The fund receives periodic growth distributions which will be used for this request. The Sheriff’s Office uses these funds to offset law enforcement officer costs. Funds cannot be used for supplanting, making the new allocation an appropriate of these funds.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
Sheriff’s Lieutenant |
$13,174.95 - $16,016.91 |
1.0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
In the absence of two assigned lieutenants, this position will assist in providing essential oversight of patrol operations during one of the 24/7 Patrol shifts.
Attachments:
Resolution Amending the Department Allocation List
2026 Budget Resolution-Time Limited Lieutenant
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A