Clinton County Sheriff Rich Kelly is drawing a hard line on protecting taxpayers and public safety as the future of the county’s federal inmate program hangs in the balance.
At Wednesday’s Sheriff Merit Board meeting, Sheriff Kelly laid out the stark reality: the program that currently helps fund deputies and jail staff may not survive past 2026, and there’s no guarantee it will even last through next year.
“When we get a solidified budget, we’ll know exactly where we stand,” Kelly said. “But yes — in 2027 there is a real possibility there is no federal money, no federal program. 2026 is not guaranteed either.”
Sheriff Kelly said he refuses to play political games with people’s livelihoods, hiring deputies just to lay them off later if the money vanishes.
“When the federal inmate budget is done, those positions are done,” he said firmly. “There’s no clause saying the county will absorb those salaries.”
He stressed that he and Matron Ashley Kelly have been pushing since August 28 to fill one open position in particular but have been forced to wait for clarity from the county council and commissioners.
“I can’t in good conscience hire people on a ‘maybe,’” Kelly told the board. “I won’t bring in new deputies and then have to turn around and take away their jobs because funding fell through. That’s not fair to them, and it’s not fair to the taxpayers.”
Kelly made it clear that while commissioners have spoken publicly about protecting public safety, the sheriff’s office won’t act until the fiscal body — the county council — passes a 2026 budget.
“Do I take what the commissioners say with a grain of salt? Absolutely, 100 percent,” he said. “They don’t make the final call. Council is the fiscal body, and until we have a 2026 budget, we’re not hiring.”
Sheriff Kelly also reminded the public that the agreement with the federal government is tied to his administration — and won’t automatically continue under the next sheriff.
“You’ve got an election in May,” he said. “This doesn’t pass over automatically to the next sheriff. This isn’t a handoff. It’s an agreement between Matron Kelly, myself, and the federal government. The next person can figure it out on their own.”
Kelly’s remarks highlighted his commitment to transparency and fiscal responsibility, even as he faces tough decisions.
“I’m not here to gamble with people’s jobs or the taxpayers’ money,” he said. “We’ll wait for the budget. We’ll do it right.”