Big budget cuts are ahead for Jefferson County! While hundreds fear for their jobs, others now fear for their safety.
"I see no way that we can cut our budget by 33 and a 3rd percent without a reduction in force,'' says Jefferson County Commission President Bettye Fine Collins.
It's a scary thought for not only residents of Jefferson County, but also many within the sheriff's department.
"A cut of public safety by 33 percent is not only unheard of, but it will simply devastate law enforcement and the safety of the people of this county," says Lt. Randy Christian with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.
Some cities in Jefferson County are run without police patrol, and by law, the sheriff's department is required to patrol and secure those.
Center Point is just one of them.
Sherry Merrifield owns Eastgate Café in Center Point. She says safety is already a concern in the area, and down-sizing the sheriff's department is a bad move.
"That would be the last place I think cuts need to be," Merrifield says.
Lieutenant Christian says they don't plan on submitting any plans to reduce a third of their budget by the June 1st deadline. Furthermore, if they feel that public safety is being jeopardized, he says they will see county leadership in court.
"If we sit down at the table and convince our county commissioners what our responsibilities are and the funding needed for that and they push us to the courts, yeah, will we go there? Absolutely," says Christian.
"They can sue us or whatever they want to do, but you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip," Collins adds.
