In your March 2 article about the Camden Police and the town budget,  “Camden Town Manager recommends initiating search for new police chief”, the Camden Town Manager was quoted as follows: "As of FY26, Camden’s total assessment to Knox County is approximately $2.4 million, with roughly $1.8 million supporting the Sheriff’s Department. At present, many of the services funded through this assessment are not directly utilized by the town.”

I believe Town Manager is misstating what Camden currently pays the County for the Sheriff’s office for ‘law enforcement’. She is saying that Camden pays $1.8 million towards the Sheriff’s department. Here are the facts as I can assemble them, based on the 2026 Knox County budget: 

The Sherrif’s budget is approximately $4,132,284, or 29.7% of the County’s annual budget.

Camden pays 17.7% of the county budget, or approximately $2,462,897. So, Camden‘s share of the County Sheriff’s budget doing the math is $731,418, not $1,800,000. (Camden’s county tax assessment percentage of 17.7% x Sheriff’s annual budget of $4,132,284.) 

I have to surmise that she included other Knox County budget categories to get her $1.8 million figure.

The largest County budget category is for the Dept of Corrections, which was 41.9% of the 2026 budget or approximately $5,823,267.

She also may be adding the County public safety buildingbudget of $197,443 to get to her $1.8 million figure.  Adding those two budgets and using the 17.7% cost share allocation percentage would add $1,065,671 to the $731,418 Sheriff’s budget allocation shown above to get $1,797,089, or $1.8 million. 

One should not include the County Corrections budget nor public safety building maintenance budget when evaluating the costs for local policing.  Those two costs are costs the County will allocate regardless of who polices Camden and are not direct costs for putting deputies in Camden.

Steve Mischissin lives in Camden