The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department is set to exceed its budget this year by more than a million dollars, according to a report shared at a commissioner's meeting Monday.
The overage comes at a particularly bad time for the county. Three years of lower-than-expected sales tax revenue have created budget pressure across the board.
At the meeting, Chair Don Martin told Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough that other departments were being forced to subsidize his office.
“So you being upset about getting a memo on freezing officer hiring for the rest of this fiscal year — my blood pressure is through the roof over that, Sheriff," he said. "And you got to understand, we all have to manage our budgets.”
The issue mainly stems from increased overtime costs for deputies. Kimbrough argued his department’s responsibilities outpaced the funding it received.
“I'm not asking for nothing elaborate," he said. "I'm asking for things that help sustain the safety of this entire community, and that's all I'm saying.”
Commissioners have not finalized next year’s budget yet. Residents can weigh in during a public hearing scheduled for May 18.