|
|
| Sheriff cuts $4 million |
| By Thyrie Bland |
| Published: 04/09/2009 |
|
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan plans to slash his budget by $4 million, but the cuts are millions less than what county commissioners sought. Escambia County is expecting a $12 million budget shortfall for the 2009-10 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. Commissioners have asked county offices, including the Sheriff's Office, to make budget cuts. The commission asked Morgan to slash $6.5 million from the Sheriff's Office's $78 million budget. The biggest cuts in Morgan's proposed budget will come from grounding the helicopter unit, not renewing the jail's health care services contract and retirements. Morgan said cutting his budget more could mean eliminating employees, which would impact services. "There is a difference between cutting to the bone and amputation," Morgan said during a news conference Wednesday. "You cut this budget more than that and you are talking about amputation." 'A good starting point' Two commissioners — Marie Young and Wilson Robertson — said it's too early in the budget process to say whether the sheriff will be asked to make additional cuts. Both commissioners said they were impressed that the sheriff had cut $4 million from his budget. "That's a good starting point," Robertson said. "Hopefully, he can find more. I really can't say whether that's enough." Young, the commission's chairwoman, said the sheriff gave her a copy of his proposed budget last week. She said she had not reviewed it but passed it along to County Administrator Bob McLaughlin. "I think he has done a good job so far," Young said. "He probably needs to work on it a little bit more if it's possible. If he feels that's as far as he can go, I say, 'Good job.' " Young said she understands the sheriff's concerns about reducing services. "Sometimes we have to curtail services to a certain point," she said. "These are things we have to consider when we really get down to the nitty-gritty, so to speak." Of the sheriff's cuts, the largest amount comes from not renewing the contract with the health services company that provides health care at the Escambia County Jail. The plan is to hire a team to provide health care at the jail. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think