HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Sheriff Randy Henderson says his department is staying within its budget despite having to pay more overtime on both the patrol side and the corrections side.

In a report to Reno County Commissioners, Henderson says they are paying additional overtime on the patrol side, putting them over budget by about 9%. This is because of emergency responses. The department responded to Rice County when the sheriff and undersheriff in that county were wounded by a suspect during a standoff. The department also assisted Hutchinson police with a standoff on West 16th.

The rest of the overtime is because of check lanes the department conducted to try to apprehend those who may be intoxicated while driving. Sheriff Henderson says the county is reimbursed, but those funds go into the county’s general fund and not back into his budget.

On the corrections side, they are also over budget for overtime pay by about 9%. The sheriff says they lost three officers to Hutchinson police, two others resigned and a civilian clerk was replaced by a corrections officer. He also noted that two inmates had to be hospitalized for a couple of days, requiring deputies to guard those inmates 24 hours a day. Also, corrections staff have been used by the warrant division to assist in prisoner trips because of it being cost effective to use a $17-an-hour employee as opposed to a $30-an-hour employee.

The sheriff’s department has made 26 trips to Larned and 25 trips to Hays for mental health transports so far this year. Henderson says most of those trips occurred after hours.