Butler County commissioners were “flabbergasted” when they learned Sheriff Richard Jones had already hired 19 staffers he requested in his 2026 budget without consulting them.
Jones’ $61 million budget submission included adding 18 more employees next year than he budgeted this year, for a total complement of 425 staffers. During his budget hearing last week, he revealed they’ve already hired 19 new staffers, despite the commissioner-imposed hiring freeze.
“We started the hiring phase before you put that in place,” he told the commissioners during his annual budget hearing. “So, a little lack of communication on our part, so we’ll take the blame for that.”…