Sheriff reform bill advances in the Senate

‘We need to do something besides a study’

BY TIFFANY TAN VTDigger

The Vermont Senate could soon vote on a series of reforms to the county sheriff system following a spate of scandals in departments around the state.

The Senate Government Operations Committee signed off last week on the bill, S.17, which has expanded in scope since it was introduced in January. It has since been sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee; from there, it would head to the floor.

The latest version notably seeks to reform how sheriffs personally profit from their department contracts. Under current law, sheriffs have the option of charging an overhead fee of up to 5 percent of a contract’s value, then adding that amount, or a