Sheriff’s cut may not be one we can afford
Raising taxes is something no one wants to do these days. This is not so surprising considering the state of the economy and the migration of jobs to Mexico and offshore countries. Most citizens feel they are being taxed enough and have made it clear they want government to become more efficient with citizens’ money instead of putting extra burdens on taxpayers.
The problem with this concept is that if jobs are scarce and people are out of work, then tax revenues tend to drop as well, resulting in even less revenue to fund already strapped budgets.
Obviously, if local governments are going to operate in the face of rising costs with the same level of funding, then the only alternative is to cut services, something citizens tend to grouse about almost as vehemently as raising taxes.
This puts local legislators in somewhat of a no-win situation. If they raise taxes they get lambasted, but if they cut services they are equally vilified.
Such is the case with the recent proposed cuts to the Warren County Sheriff’s Department. Budget and Finance committee members explained early in the budget process that departmental budgets would have to be cut an additional six percent if a proposed 11-cent property tax increase was voted down.
In a budget year where most departments had already cut five percent from the previous year, finding an additional six percent presented some major obstacles for commissioners.
In a joint meeting of the Safety and Budget and Finance committees earlier in the month to discuss how to best make cuts to his budget, Sheriff Jackie Matheny made it clear he didn’t think there was anything in his budget to cut, basically telling the committees if cuts were to be made, they would have to make them themselves.
Feeling they had no choice, that’s exactly what the Safety committee did, to the tune of $173,000 out of the $1.76 million Sheriff’s Department budget for the next fiscal year.
Matheny has subsequently said he will try to deal with the cuts, saying “It’s something we’re just going to have to do.”
But as one of the top items on the cut list was sheriff’s department vehicles, Matheny pointed out the commission may have been penny wise and pound foolish, since having to use older vehicles may increase maintenance costs next year in an effort to keep aging vehicles on the road.
Matheny also said some services traditionally handled by his department may have to go this year, like extra patrols at the fair and working the Highland Rim Bicycle Classic.
Arguably, legislators were presented with a situation where, no matter what choices were made, some people were going to be unhappy. However, when it comes to the safety and security of our citizenry, is knifing into law enforcement funding a savings we can really afford?