News - Local News

POSTED: Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008

Council proposes cutting $400,000 from Sheriff's Office budget

Rejecting a recommendation Whatcom County Executive Pete Kremen made in his budget proposal, the County Council has proposed cutting $400,000 out of the Sheriff's Office next two-year budget.

The council voted 5-2 to tentatively approve the cut in a meeting Tuesday, Nov. 18. It will vote on adopting the proposed cut after a public hearing Nov. 25.

Kremen requested that all county departments cut spending by 3.6 percent while they were forming their budget proposals in July.

Every department did so except the Sheriff's Office, which submitted a request for additional money, Sheriff Bill Elfo said.

While Kremen did not support the extra money, he did recommend that the Sheriff's Office be exempt from any cuts.

Had the Sheriff's Office complied with Kremen's request to other departments, its cuts would have amounted to about $1 million per year, Councilman Sam Crawford said.

Crawford proposed the cut, which amounts to $200,000 per year, for the next two-year budget. This would be eight-tenths of 1 percent of the Sheriff's Office 2008 estimated budget, which is about $25 million, Crawford said.

The proposed cut is the equivalent of two deputies' salaries and expenses.

Elfo wrote in an e-mail to Crawford that the cut could mean reducing the number of deputies assigned to communities such as Birch Bay, Baker Lake, Sudden Valley and other small communities in the county.

In an e-mail, Crawford countered and wrote the Sheriff's Office could save money without cutting staff by using fewer overtime hours, less gas and waiting to replace old equipment.