The Gates County Board of Commissioners approved five budget amendments that carry forward grant dollars and close out a multi-year sheriff’s office grant, and commissioners heard details from the sheriff about equipment purchases funded through that grant and local donations.

Budget amendments
County staff presented five fiscal-year 2026 amendments (F26-14 through F26-18) that included grant carry-forwards for asset assessments and water/wastewater AIA work, Cooperative Extension nutrition programming and funding tied to the local reentry council. The board voted to approve the amendments by unanimous voice vote.

Sheriff's grant-funded equipment
Sheriff Campbell described equipment the office obtained with funds from a private donor and the sheriff’s grant program. He listed recent acquisitions and planned purchases including a side-by-side vehicle, drones, updated mobile computer-aided-dispatch hardware and the department’s imminent purchase order for body-worn cameras. The sheriff told the board the body-camera order will be for roughly $80,000 and said mobile CAD hardware has greatly improved deputies’ ability to work across the county.

Why it matters: The budget amendments used grant and restricted funds to finish technical assessments and to support public-safety programs. The sheriff’s purchases are intended to modernize patrol technology and improve incident documentation.

Next steps
County staff will finalize grant closeouts and post the amendments and supporting documents in the county’s financial records. The sheriff said body cameras were expected to be delivered and a training period scheduled after deployment.

Ending: The board approved the amendments unanimously and thanked staff for the financial detail and the sheriff for the operational update.