Clay County Commission 

Daniel Haglund

Clay County Sheriff Mark Empting brought some increased numbers when he presented the Clay County Board of Commissioners with next year’s budget proposal Tuesday.
Empting addressed three main issues affecting the budget this year: Steps in cost of living adjustments (COLAs); the addition of two deputies; and a big increase in the Red River Regional Dispatch Center budget.
The Sheriff’s Office budget projects an 8.9% increase, from $5.85 million this year to $6.37 million next year after revenues are subtracted. The overall increase is $521,524.
The 2025 RRRDC budget, which covers the whole Fargo-Moorhead metro area across two states, is set at $6.259 million, representing a 14.52% increase over the last year. The Clay County/Rural Clay Cities share of this is $519,523, or 8.3%. This budget also receives $150,182 in revenue from 911 fees, bringing the net Clay County share down to $369,341, divvied up between the City of Moorhead ($192,057) and Clay County ($177,283).
The New World Maintenance portion of the budget reflects a 5.95% increase, to $570,948. Clay County’s total share is $90,426, divided between rural cities ($31,854) and Clay County ($58,572).
There will be a $25,000 increase in the Police Relief Aid budget, and $10,000 increases in both the police training reimbursements and overtime revenue.
Offsetting this, Empting said, the department’s miscellaneous refunds will decrease by $35,000, as the Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton and Ulen school districts are decreasing hours for School Resource Officers (SRO) contracts.
The overall department cost increase comes to $12,500 after all line items are figured in.
A bigger increase comes in the form of salaries and benefits, totaling $240,528. Salaries are set to increase by $175,904, representing up 4.6% in line with COLA/Steps. Next, employee health insurance will go up $31,956 (4.2%). Public Employees Retirement Accounts (PERA) will rise by $28,513 (4.6%); Social Security by $1,589 (5.7%); and Medicare by $2,566 (4.6%).
Two additional deputies have been hired this year; $214,086 was moved from Public Safety Funds to part-time salaries to cover the first year of their salaries and benefits. The allocation from Public Safety Funds was a one-time budget infusion of $300 million from the 2023 Minnesota Legislature allocated among all counties, cities and townships with a population of more than 10,000, as well as for the state’s 11 federally recognized tribal governments. Clay County still has some of this money left, but not enough to make a significant dent in the overall budget increase, Empting said.
“This is certainly a significant increase,” said Commissioner Kevin Campbell, Dist. 4. “If we have the ability to buy that down by using some of the Public Safety dollars, we should look at that.”
Empting said he feels strongly that whatever funds remain from the one-time allotment should be earmarked for future salaries.
The portion of the increase representing law enforcement expenditures comes to $54,000. It is spread between hikes in Xcel and Moorhead Public Service gas costs, officer training, FM Animal Hospital, impound lot, travel and expenses, uniforms, automobile repairs, and gas and oil.
With the Task Forces budget between the U.S. Marshals ($20,702) and the USPS ($18,649), only the overtime portions are reimbursable. The Postal Service reimbursement also comes with a squad car remuneration of $10,200 annually. Any change (no major ones anticipated) in the reimbursable amount will be known in September, at the end of the fiscal year.
Under the Medical Examiner budget, the cost of each autopsy with transportation is about $3,000. The budget proposal ($135,000) is based on a three-year average of 45 per year. The department is actually looking at a decrease of $10,000 in autopsies and $5,000 in transportation based on a slower rate in 2024.
Accompanying Empting for the presentation were emergency ,anager Lt. Gabe Tweten, Chief Deputy Chris Martin and jail administrator Kari Tuton.