Overspending by the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office forced the county to divert $3.2 million to meet payroll, outstanding bills and operational expenses in the final weeks of the fiscal year.

During a special meeting on Monday, county officials approved the creation of the “Sheriff FY2024 Taxpayer Assisted Bailout Fund” and diverted money from funds that were originally set aside for insurance deductibles and contingencies related to major repairs and the replacement of mechanical assets, elevators, plumbing, and electrical systems within county-owned properties.

Sheriff Chris Amason and other county officials have sparred in recent months about the sheriff’s budget.

When asked by The Oklahoman to explain why millions of dollars are needed to finish out the year, the sheriff’s office emailed a brief statement by Amason thanking the county for working with him to resolve the issue.

The money was unanimously approved by the Cleveland County Budget Board, which includes county elected officials. Commission Chair Rod Cleveland presented the agenda items without much discussion.

“We know that there’s payroll liabilities for June that the sheriff does not have in his budget to pay those. And then there is a number of outstanding invoices that the sheriff does not have in his budget to pay those,” Cleveland said Monday. “And so this is money that needed to be transferred so we can get those paid, so we can keep the full faith and credit of Cleveland County solid.”

If any of the money isn’t spent this fiscal year, which ends June 30, it will be repaid to the county.

It will take several years for the county to recoup these funds.

“The county is required to present a balanced budget, and the sheriff’s office overspending has created a deficit that we are working to address. We will develop a long-term plan to gradually restore these funds through future budgets and careful fiscal management,” the county said through a spokesperson.

“This strategic reallocation aims to address immediate operational needs due to overspending by the sheriff’s office without significantly disrupting our county’s overall budget. While some planned maintenance and repairs may be deferred, we are committed to ensuring that essential services remain unaffected and that long-term infrastructure projects are rescheduled in a manner that maintains their priority and importance.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma sheriff gets $3M bailout fund to cover overspending