The decision to not finish out his term was made in-part due to the upcoming tax season that runs from November until April each year.
Carter said every tax collection cycle is audited by the state at a cost of several thousand dollars to the county. When a new sheriff takes office, it would require two separate audits, one for Carter's portion of the tax collections, and the second for sheriff-elect Ryan Norman's portion.
By retiring at the end of July, Carter would save the county money since the county would only require one audit.
Carter said he has discussed the move with Judge Executive Craig Clymer, who said he would appoint Norman to fill the final five months of his four year term.
Carter said his goal from the beginning was to leave the agency in better shape than when he was elected. He feels at peace and confident that he has achieved that goal, thanks to the hard work and support of his staff and the support he has received from the community.
You can read Carter's entire letter to the community below.
Last fall I announced that I would not be seeking a 2nd term as McCracken County Sheriff. At that time Chief Deputy Ryan Norman announced that he would seek and run for the seat and received my full endorsement. McCracken County citizens clearly spoke on May 17 of this year resulting in Chief Deputy Norman receiving over 87% of the votes. All pertinent deadlines have passed for anyone seeking this office and no one else can be on the official voting ballot in the November 2022 general election. Essentially, Chief Deputy Norman is the McCracken County sheriff-elect and is slated to be sworn in January 2023 as the next McCracken County Sheriff.
Several issues come into play when a sheriff takes office in January, but an especially significant one is that it comes during the mandatory tax collection cycle that runs from November to April each year. Every tax collection cycle is mandatorily audited by the KY Auditor of Public Accounts at a cost of several thousands of dollars to the county. However, with each sheriff being personally responsible for the collection and disbursement of taxes under their watch, a split in the sheriff’s term during the collection cycle results in two separate audits. If I remained in office my full term, this would result in one audit of my portion of the 2022 tax collections and the second being for sheriff-elect Norman’s portion, and therefore a substantial added cost to our county. By allowing sheriff-elect Norman to take office prior to beginning the 2022 tax collection cycle would allow only one audit to be necessary with a substantial savings to our local government.
I have had conversations with Judge Executive Craig Clymer about this issue and his response was one of reassurance, that if I did retire from this elected office, that he would in fact appoint sheriff-elect Norman to fill the final 5 months of my 4 year term. Again, this would save the county several thousands of dollars and eliminate one tax audit.
It is with the utmost sincerity and respect that I announce to the residents of McCracken County that I will retire at the end of July 2022.
I began my fulltime law enforcement career in 2000, when I joined the McCracken County Sheriff's Office and have been honored beyond measure to serve in so many different positions within the organization.
My goal and promise from the very beginning was to leave our agency better than when I was elected. I’m at peace and confident that we have done that with the support and hard work of the men and women at the Sheriff’s Office and the support of this community. From developing a grassroot effort through Badges Of Hope to help those battling various drug addictions get help when desired, to strengthening our community relationship and transparency through our citizens academy, brought the agency to an accreditation standard, established the McCracken County Sheriff’s Office Foundation, and made great strides in getting the pay for our deputies up where we can compete with surrounding agencies to ensure we are able to recruit the most qualified candidates to serve our community just to name a few.
If everyone of us in our everyday lives would strive to leave things better than we found it, our world would be a much better place. I am strong in my belief that we have a strong, educated, disciplined, and professional law enforcement agency for sheriff-elect Ryan Norman to take over and build on, and I know that he will.
I have worked with Ryan since he joined the agency in 2009, and I know him to be a man of faith, hardworking and honest man. I have watched him many times in all sorts of situations and have always seen him do the right thing, even when he thought no one was looking.
I have absolute peace in knowing that my team and I have done the absolute best we could to serve and protect each of you and your families. I also have peace in knowing that this will continue under the leadership of Ryan Norman.
I want to thank everyone that supported our agency and me during my tenure. The community support that we receive is overwhelming and much appreciated not only by me, but each one of our deputies and staff. You have no idea how much that means to all of us in these trying times. Please continue to stand behind and pray daily for the men and women that protect us all day in and day out.
To all other area law enforcement officers and officials, I want to sincerely thank each of you for your dedication and friendship over my career in law enforcement. When we all work together, that is a bad thing for those looking to victimize innocent people, and a good thing for those that support and appreciate us.
To the McCracken County Fiscal Court, past and present, thank you for supporting public safety in our community.
To other courthouse staff members, court officials, judges, prosecutors, and defense bar, thank each of you for the professionalism you have exhibited during my 22 years working in McCracken County's legal system.
And finally, to my staff. Each one of you are and always will be family to me. Over the years many of us have spent more time together than we have some of our own family as duty has called. We have shared experiences we will never forget, and some that we wish we could. Words cannot express how proud I am of the accomplishments and strides that we have made as an agency. You all are second to none.
I wish each and everyone one of you the absolute best.
