Madison County, sheriff’s department meet in court following lawsuit

JACKSON, Tenn. — Over one year after the sheriff’s department sued the county, the two sides finally met face to face in Circuit Court on Tuesday morning, with millions of dollars on the line.

Counsel for both Madison County and the Madison County Sheriff’s Department gave opening statements in court Tuesday, where Madison County Sheriff John Mehr is claiming he has not been given adequate funds to run his department.

Mehr says they need more deputies and higher pay in his department.

The sheriff’s office brought up the Jackson Police Department as a comparison, saying JPD has a more competitive pay scale than the sheriff’s office.

“At the 10 year mark, a deputy would be making $46,701. At Jackson PD, they would be making $49,899,” said Madison County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Steve Overton.

Meanwhile, the county argued that parts of the sheriff’s demands — like food costs for inmates at the jail — are not under the court’s jurisdiction. They pointed to the nearly $6.5 million they’ve given to the sheriff’s department since Mehr took office as proof they were sufficiently funding the department.

“In 2016, his fleet was at 126 vehicles. His fleet is now at 196 vehicles. Again your honor, this is not a starved sheriff’s department, this is a well funded sheriff’s department,” said attorney Geoffrey Lindley.

They stressed that the sheriff didn’t elect to sue the county until after he had already agreed to a budget.

The trial is expected to last several days, with each side calling witnesses to testify about the expenses and inner workings of the sheriff’s department.

As a reminder, the longer the lawsuit goes on, the more the taxpayers are on the hook. Both sides of this battle — the sheriff and the county — are funded by the public.

The trial is set to resume Wednesday at 9 a.m.