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The Dallas County Commissioners are vowing to work with Sheriff Mike Grantham after the line item for six new vehicles was cut in the approved 2024-2025 fiscal year budget.

Grantham made his case for why the vehicles were needed, citing that they have 40 vehicles on the road every day. Some of their vehicles have more 150,000 miles and some as many as 310,000 miles.

Because of the wear and tear on the vehicles, Grantham said he and the commission had an understanding that every two years, the Sheriff’s Department would be approved to purchase six cars.

“We’ve been doing that for 20 years, and we have the most dire need for new cars since I’ve been in the sheriff’s office,” Grantham said. “I’ve been here 25, 27 years now, and cars are being cut. I just don’t understand why. And it may be a legitimate reason, I don’t know. But we didn’t have that discussion.”

Probate Judge Jimmy Nunn didn’t dispute the agreement that the commission had with the sheriff’s department. However, he said that decision would be left up the commission to fund it.

“I’m not going to dispute you on that because I wasn’t here. That was before my time,” Nunn said. “But whatever it is, I have not seen any type of agreement. So it would be left up to the commission if the commission desires to honor keeping that agreement and if that’s their desire to do that as a commission.”

Nunn said that one reason why the cars may have been taken out was due to grant funding to purchase other vehicles. Five vehicles will be coming due to funding secured by U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Auburn. There were also other grants that the Sheriff’s Department was matching, bringing the total to nine vehicles.

Grantham said that one of the reasons the cars are needed was due to prisoner transport. Because the Dallas County Jail has not been repaired from the 2023 tornado, he said they are having to travel to as far as Mobile for prisoner transports, especially those involving capital murder cases.

Nunn and all of the commissioners present at the meeting, which didn’t include Jan Justice who is not seeking reelection, said they would be willing to sit down with Grantham and the Sheriff’s Department to discuss the issue and try to come to a resolution on the issue. 

However, any budget amendments would likely have to be voted on by the new commission, which takes office in mid-November after the Nov. 5 election.