NATCHEZ — The Adams County Sheriff’s Office might get most of the items on its wish list for fiscal year 2011-2012 despite the reluctance of the Adams County Board of Supervisors to give the sheriff the nearly half a million dollar budget increase he requested.

At a budget meeting following Monday’s regular meeting, some of Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield’s budget requests included dollar increases for 10 new vehicles, salaries for four new deputies, the cost of a full-time, on-call health care employee, $150,000 more in jail maintenance and $32,000 more in food costs.

County Administrator Joe Murray said the sheriff’s office could afford most of the items on its list using last year’s budget and avoid the requested budget increases.

Murray said the sheriff’s office seemed to have over budgeted last year, which has left Mayfield’s office padding to purchase equipment or hire new people with the same amount of funds they received last year.

For example, through the proper financing and car trades, the sheriff’s office can possibly attain nine vehicles of their requested 10 vehicles without increasing last year’s vehicle budget, Murray said.

Mayfield requested $200,000 for the new vehicles. Mayfield’s administrative assistant Maj. Debbie Gee said patrol cars cost approximately $26,000.

Mayfield said he wanted to replace some of the cars whose mileage has hit 100,000 miles or more.

“(Patrol cars) are getting a lot more miles because of the way we patrol,” Mayfield said. “We (have) better coverage of the county.”

Mayfield also requested salaries for an additional deputy to patrol on each of the four shifts.

The Adams County jail is housing more inmates and responding to more calls from inside the city limits than in years past, Mayfield said.

Mayfield said while the sheriff’s office and Natchez Police Department have always had a gentleman’s agreement for NPD to respond to calls within the city limits, he feels a duty to allow his office to respond to any call within the county.

Mayfield said his office received 500 calls from within the city limits from January to April.

Mayfield also requested raises for his deputies, but supervisors Thomas “Boo” Campbell, S.E. “Spanky” Felter and Mike Lazarus from Districts 3, 5 and 1, respectively, suggested they would probably not grant raises to any department.

District 4 Supervisor Darryl Grennell and District 2 Supervisor Henry Watts did not attend the budget meeting.

Mayfield said he is a taxpayer, too, but he believed raises would boost morale and thus productivity.

“I feel like I would be doing a disservice if I didn’t come out and fight for my people,” Mayfield said. “We’ve got the best (deputies) in the state.”

Murray said he would grant the requested increase of $32,000 for the sheriff office’s food budget.

The sheriff said the board should know the sheriff’s office will soon need a new facility.

The current space allows no room for expansion and is in poor shape, Mayfield said.

“(The sheriff’s office) needs to get feelers out about grants and stuff,” Lazarus suggested. “You don’t want to wait until (the facility) crumbles around you.”

4 Road Manager Curley Jones requested $267,322 for new equipment including vehicles and two types of mowers.

4 Emergency Management Director Stan Owens requested funds for generators, which will be partially reimbursed by state and federal grants.

Owens also requested $30,000 for a new tornado siren. He said the county has 12 sirens and would ideally reach 32 eventually by adding one each year.

4 The board is scheduled to meet for another budget meeting today, Murray said Monday.