Sheriff's budget cut by $65,000: theinteriorjournal.com

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Sheriff's budget cut by $65,000
By TODD KLEFFMAN
January 7, 2010

STANFORD — In a sign of the lean economic times, Lincoln County Fiscal Court voted to cut about $65,000 from Sheriff Curt Folger’s budget before approving it in a special meeting Wednesday.

The cut means Folger will lose funding for at least one deputy and that employees in his office will not get the raises he asked for.

“The budget won’t allow me to buy bullets,” Folger joked afterward, though he was clearly not pleased.

“I’m disappointed, sure, because it will take away from our department,” he said. “We’ve got 643 miles of road to cover. It will put a burden on us trying to cover all the calls we get. Hopefully, it won’t put a burden on the citizens.”

Magistrates decided not to fund the salary of former deputy Chad Smith, who was terminated last month after he decided to run against Folger for sheriff. Smith’s position was funded by a federal COPS — Community Oriented Policing Services — grant that has expired, and Fiscal Court decided against spending county money on it.

Another deputy position is paid for by a COPS grant that expires at the end of June, and magistrates also decided against funding that job beyond the grant, hoping that another grant or additional money will be found before the position has to be cut.

Judge-Executive Bill Demrow told Folger, “You took a hit. Everyone is taking a hit. Maybe you’ll pick it back up later in the year.”

By state law, sheriffs and county clerks have to submit their budgets by Jan. 15 while the rest of county government operates on a fiscal year that begins on July 1. Demrow said other departments will face the same sharp budget knife when their budgeting time comes.

“We’re looking at every budget. We’re going to keep it lean, we’re going to cut the fat and do that everywhere,” Demrow said. “Or else we’re going to be broke.”

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