Lane County Weighs Millions for Sheriff Staffing and Jail Funding
County officials on December 3 laid out funding scenarios to address chronic understaffing in the sheriff's office, and they signaled that voters are unlikely to decide any measure before 2027. The proposals would substantially increase spending for rural patrols, prosecutors, and possibly corrections, a choice that would reshape public safety services and tax commitments for Lane County residents.
Lane County commissioners heard detailed briefings on December 3 about gaps in law enforcement coverage and options for long term revenue to fill those gaps. Sheriff Carl Wilkerson told commissioners the office is underserving communities across more than 4,600 square miles, from remote mountain campgrounds to the coast, and that patrol staffing is so thin that a typical shift has only three deputies and a sergeant. That staffing level means some calls can be an hour or more from the nearest responder, producing longer waits for crime victims, people in vehicle crashes and residents facing other emergencies.
The sheriff's office logged more than 93,000 calls in 2024, including 278 death investigations and 1,544 crashes. Adjusted for population, Lane County has fewer deputies per 1,000 people than peer counties, and Wilkerson estimated the county would need roughly 87 additional deputies to reach a peer average.
A public safety funding task force presented two possible long term revenue scenarios for commissioners to consider. The smaller scenario would generate about 27 million dollars annually, roughly 22 million dollars for increased rural patrol and about 5 million dollars for prosecutor funding. The larger scenario would produce about 55 million dollars annually, which includes the 27 million dollars plus roughly 28 million dollars tied to corrections and jail funding. The larger option would remove the need for future renewals of the existing jail levy.
Commissioners stressed the need for broad public outreach and education before any measure is placed on the ballot, and they agreed a 2026 ballot would be unrealistic. Outreach could begin in 2026 with a possible vote in 2027 at the earliest. Commissioners Heather Buch and Chair David Loveall, and County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky, discussed outreach plans and next steps. The board also scheduled a briefing from the district attorney's office about prosecutor funding at an upcoming meeting.
For Lane County residents, the decisions carry immediate consequences for public safety response times, prosecutorial capacity and the future of the jail levy. The choice before commissioners will affect tax commitments, the distribution of law enforcement across urban and rural areas, and whether the county expands detention capacity as part of a comprehensive public safety strategy. Public engagement and clear information about costs and service outcomes will be central to any vote placed before the community.
