Crawford County commissioners were presented with the 2025 Annual Sheriff’s Report on March 10, made and delivered by Major Adam Carnal, with some added notes by Sheriff Darin Laymen, which explained how the Sheriff’s Office performed and improved throughout the year, as well as some future goals. 

The presentation opened with a message from Sheriff Laymen.

“This past year has been one of growth, progress, and partnership. Our deputies, detention staff and support personnel have worked tirelessly to respond to calls for service, support the courts and strengthen relationships across Crawford County,” Layman wrote. “From expanded patrol resources and the launch of our drone program to continued work addressing substance abuse and mental health challenges within our jail, our team has remained committed to serving our citizens with professionalism and compassion.”

The General Revenue fund in the sheriff’s budget was negative by the end of the fiscal year.

“The sheriff’s General Revenue fund serves as the primary operational funding source for core law enforcement services provided by the sheriff’s office in the community. This fund supports patrol operations and overall agency management responsibilities,” Carnal wrote. “Unlike restricted or special-purpose funds, General Revenue is used to ensure continuous 24/7 public safety coverage across the county. The negative balance is supplemented by General Revenue of the county, which supports these essential services that are not fully offset by dedicated revenue streams that come directly to the Sheriff’s Office.”

Through regional drug enforcement efforts, expanding the School Resource Officer (SRO) programs and collaborating with medical providers and treatment partners, deputies have been able to address more challenges before they become even larger problems.

“As the Sheriff’s Office moves forward, the focus remains on strengthening service while adapting to the evolving needs of the community,” Carnal wrote. 

In 2026, the sheriff’s office plans to prioritize supporting their deputies and detention staff through training and professional development; improve response and safety through expanding technology and specialized programs; strengthen partnerships that address substance abuse, mental health and community well-being and maintain transparency with the community through open communication and accountability.

In other business, Corky Stack, of Stack Engineering, was present to discuss invoices submitted to the county.

Multiple invoices were submitted to the county from the end of 2024 to the beginning of 2025; however,  some were lost. It was speculated that they had been sent to the wrong email, but no one knows for sure.

Presiding Commissioner Steve Black explained that the money is not a part of the budget anymore.

“Well, I guess the situation is...that line item is no longer a part of the budget, so I guess we’ll just have to pay this out of general revenue,” Black said.

One of the missing invoices was for a job done at the Crawford County Coroner’s Office, done by Alexander Construction. Coroner Darren Dake believed that the county shouldn’t pay the invoice.

“Alexander shouldn’t be paid $2,500, and we should sue them for additional money in return,” Dake said. “There are several problems there with the floor and things, and they took months and months and months past the contract, and they weren’t punished.”

District 1 Associate Commissioner Mark Pfeiffer asked Dake if he had enough legitimate claims and if he would use them to seek reimbursement.

District 2 Associate Commissioner Jared Boast was concerned with what would happen if the county didn’t pay them.

“If you don’t pay Alexander, they’re going to sue us. There’ll be a lawsuit that’ll come because they did the job, it’s been a year,” Boast said. “I don’t think we have any choice but to pay them.”

In the end, a motion was approved to pay the invoices with a 3-0 vote.

Black informed the commission that an appeal letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been drafted and signed, and will be sent in.

“After talking with (the State Emergency Management Agency) SEMA, it seems like our case just keeps getting stronger for an appeal,” Black said.

During the February County Commissioners Association of Missouri (CCAM) conference, Black asked the three commissioners from Nodaway County if they had a use tax.

“They said, ‘Ours passed overwhelmingly.’ They’re a third-class county with about 3,000 fewer people than we have,” Black said. “He says, ‘I don’t know the money, the total exactly, but I believe it’s somewhere in the name of $13-14 million’ that they’ve brought in and banked since they passed the use tax. So their money is just sitting there drawing interest.”

Collector Pat Schwent presented the 205 report on collections, with $21,805,659.84 collected between March 1, 2025, to Feb. 28, to-date.

“School is a little higher than it was last year. Fire department was definitely raised up a little bit from last year,” Schwent said.

In other business, a position opened up on the Scenic Regional Library Board, and the commissioners appointed Mandy Keogh with a 3-0 vote.