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Sheriff Sean Casey appeared before Alexandria City Council Saturday to oppose a proposed $200,000 delete from his office's budget, as dozens of community members testified on both sides of a proposal that has become one of the most contested items in this year's fiscal year 2027 budget process.
The testimony came during the public hearing on the city's preliminary add/delete proposals. No decisions were made Saturday — the preliminary add/delete work session is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, with final budget adoption set for April 29.
What the proposal does
The delete, sponsored by Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley and Councilman Abdel-Rahman Elnoubi, would redirect $200,000 from the Sheriff's Office general fund operating budget to hire a consultant to conduct a jail operational efficiency study. The proposal stems from data showing the jail has averaged 281 inmates over the past six years despite being staffed for a full capacity of 340, and that federal detainees have outnumbered local inmates in recent years while federal contract revenue covers only a portion of operating costs.
The sheriff's position
Casey told council his office already conducted a comprehensive staffing study in 2025 through the National Institute of Corrections, a Department of Justice-affiliated body, resulting in a 67-page report finding the jail is understaffed and that inmate population numbers do not dictate staffing levels — legal obligations do. He said a second study would duplicate that work and divert resources from an already underfunded operation. Casey said he welcomed a transparent conversation with council about the jail's long-term funding and asked to be included in the April 21 work session.
The undersheriff was more pointed in his opposition, characterizing the proposal as wasteful and saying the council was not entitled to use the budget as a tool in a policy disagreement. Numerous deputies appeared in uniform on their own time to speak about their work, highlighting the jail's rehabilitation programs including GED, English as a second language, OSHA certifications and food safety training. One deputy noted that the police department's starting salary was recently raised to $75,000 while the sheriff's office remains in the high $50s to low $60s, complicating recruitment and retention.
Council's on-the-record exchange
Mayor Alyia Gaskins used the public testimony period to establish several facts on the record with Budget Director Morgan Routt. She noted that the sheriff's office CFO had already submitted $351,446 in suggested reductions as part of the standard 1% budget review process, none of which touched staffing or compensation. She also noted that the police department faced a 2.8% budget cut in the city manager's proposed budget, fire 1%, and the sheriff's office 0.3%.
Councilman Canek Aguirre said the $200,000 delete would not eliminate any deputy positions, noting the office currently has 13 vacancies. Vice Mayor Bagley distinguished between the 2025 NIC staffing study and the proposed study, saying they ask fundamentally different questions — the former examined whether the jail could be staffed more efficiently; the latter would examine whether Alexandria's overall jail model, including its federal detainee contract, is financially sound for the city. Gaskins noted that the city's budget is structured as one lump sum, meaning that how any reduction is absorbed within the department is ultimately the sheriff's decision.
Community testimony
A large number of community members testified in favor of the deletion, many connected to ICE Out of Alexandria, citing concerns about the sheriff's office's alleged voluntary transfer of individuals to Immigration and Customs Enforcement without a judicial warrant. Several speakers drew on personal histories as immigrants, refugees, or descendants of Holocaust survivors in making their case.
Others testified against the delete. A retired Justice Department attorney who spent nearly 30 years monitoring jail conditions nationwide said she had reviewed the 2025 NIC report and found it rigorous, and described the Alexandria facility as one of the better-run jails she has seen. A former city employee with 37 years of service and direct involvement in planning the current jail testified against the proposal while urging that any future study include the sheriff and account for practical considerations such as inmate transportation costs.
One speaker who identified herself as a current sheriff's deputy and immigrant described efforts her office has made to build trust with Alexandria's immigrant community, including community outreach and informational cards explaining residents' rights, and said the office does not enforce immigration law.
What comes next
The preliminary add/delete work session is Tuesday, April 21 at City Council Chambers. Residents may still submit written comments at alexandriava.gov/Budget through April 22. Final budget adoption is April 29.
