Clerical error sparks dispute as Platte County Sheriff keeps $315K budget windfall  

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)-- The Platte County Commission recently voted to let its Sheriff’s Office keep an extra $315,000 that ended up in its equipment rental budget due to a clerical mistake. 

County Auditor Kevin Robinson acknowledged that his office accidentally changed the line item from $35,000 to $350,000 during the final days of budget approval. 

"If the bank makes a mistake, and a $1,000 deposit turns into $10,000, you let the bank fix the mistake," Platte County Commissioner Joe Vanover stated during the meeting on Monday, April 6. "If you earn $25 dollars an hour and your employer makes a mistake and pays you $250 per hour, you give the money back. 

Robinson later met with Sheriff Erik Holland to address the error and asked him to sign off on correcting it—but Holland declined. 

"If you get ten times the amount of money you are supposed to get because of a clerical error, it doesn't matter if you think you really need the money.  The right thing to do is to give it back," Vanover said.  

At the commission meeting, Holland said he intended to keep the money, arguing there’s no legal way to fix the mistake now.  

Meanwhile, Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker noted how the Sheriff’s Office already received more funding in the 2026 budget than it did in 2025. 

"Erik Holland could do the right thing and sign the paperwork to fix a clerical error that turned a $35,000 budget line into $350,000. Instead, he’s holding onto a $315,000 windfall and threatening legal action,” Vanover said.