The denial of a budget appropriation request related to salaries and staffing expenses is at the heart of a lawsuit filed by Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons in district court against the Summit Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, June 10.
According to a new release sent by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, the complaint stems from a resolution the commissioners adopted May 13 that the Sheriff’s Office says “retroactively denied a supplemental budget and appropriation of $1,260,000 for 2024 Sheriff’s Office staffing expenses.”
The release regarding the lawsuit claims associated wages had already been earned, approved by County Manager Dave Rossi and finance director Dave Reynolds and paid through standard payroll processes. The release further details that the budget appropriation request supports staffing and overtime expenses associated with a Board of County Commissioners-approved compensation plan from 2022. In 2022, the Sheriff’s Office, county staff and county commissioners worked together to develop a competitive compensation package in response to a what the release said was a “nationwide law enforcement recruiting and retention crisis.”
Summit County communications director Adrienne Saia Isaac said county government officials learned of the lawsuit via the press release the Sheriff’s Office sent around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and are reviewing it, while referencing that the county does not comment on pending litigation.
