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| Future budget cuts concern Sheriff Perry |
| By Mickey Powell |
| Published: 04/20/2009 |
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Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry is not worried about budget cuts in the coming fiscal year — it is the following year that concerns him. If the recession lingers into next year and county and state revenues keep dropping, that is when he may have to start cutting staff, which could harm the sheriff’s office’s ability to stop crime and protect people, he said. So far, “we have not lost the ability to serve the public as we have been doing,” Perry said. But “we’re at the bare minimum” in terms of funding to maintain many functions of the sheriff’s office at normal levels. “There’s no excess” money, he emphasized, and “we’re trying to make every dollar go as far as it can.” The county’s proposed budget for fiscal 2010, which starts July 1, cuts the sheriff’s office’s law enforcement budget by 5.7 percent, from $5.27 million in the current fiscal year to almost $4.97 million. Budget cuts come at a time when the sheriff’s office has seen roughly a 12 percent increase in calls for assistance during the past year. Perry said the economy seems to be prompting an increase in criminal activity. Making up for the cuts involved “a lot of ... nickeling and diming,” trimming various parts of the budget by small amounts, Perry said. For example, he said that some “hot spots,” such as drug-infested areas, in the future may not be patrolled quite as much by deputies working overtime. “We will just have to make a conscientious effort to make sure those areas are patrolled” often as part of deputies’ regular shifts, Perry said. Deputies “will just have to keep in mind the necessity of being seen in those areas.” The most notable budget cut may be that the sheriff’s office will be able to replace only 10 vehicles in fiscal 2010, four fewer than normal during a fiscal year. Perry estimated that will save about $110,000. Sheriff’s office vehicles typically are replaced every four years. Perry said they usually have reached about 100,000 miles by then. While modern vehicles today generally last well past 100,000 miles, police vehicles do not usually last as long due to stress they endure. For instance, Perry said most sheriff’s office patrol vehicles are running about 10 hours a day and they often have to travel at higher speeds than most vehicles. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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