ST PAUL, Minn. — Sheriff Bob Fletcher has filed a formal appeal of his department's 2021 budget, asking the courts to undo cuts made by the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners earlier this month.
The board sliced $1.1 million from Fletcher's $63.3 million budget as part of an effort to provide property tax relief. The panel voted December 15 to adopt a revised budget, cutting a combined $16 million from the $763 million total previously passed.
Sheriff Fletcher is asking the court to restore the $1.1 million cut by the board, plus $800,000 in unexpected expenses from 2020 that he had sought to resolve.
"This is a critical time for us to ensure the safety of the citizens of Ramsey County," Fletcher told KARE Thursday.
He's taking advantage of a feature in Minnesota law that allows sheriffs to appeal budget cuts or salary cuts they perceive as arbitrary and capricious.
Commissioner Toni Carter, the Ramsey County Board Chair, noted that the hearings on the revised budget began in August and the sheriff's office was involved in that process.
"The Board of Commissioners has acted fairly, transparently and deliberately in approving a property tax levy adjustment of 0% for Ramsey County’s 2021 Supplemental budget to provide needed relief to residents, families and businesses following the impacts of COVID-19," Carter said in a statement provided to KARE.
The fiscal maneuvers allowed the board to keep the property tax levy increase to 0 percent for 2021, as opposed to the 4.5 percent hike that was approved as part of the two-year budget plan passed in 2019.
Fletcher said he had planned to bring on 10 new deputies in January to fill vacant positions in his staff, which numbers at 240 at full strength. He said leaving those positions open would likely result in slower court security services once live court hearings resume later in the year.
Do to the inherent conflict of interest, the Ramsey County District Court transferred Fletcher's appeal to a judge in neighboring Hennepin County.
Fletcher says he's hoping to reach a settlement with the county board prior to the first hearing, which hasn't been scheduled yet.