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Sheriff’s office hit hardest by county budget cuts

15 employees laid off, 14 vacant jobs eliminated in latest reductions.

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By Lynn Hulsey, Staff Writer Updated 11:20 PM Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is taking the biggest hit in the county’s latest round of budget cuts the county commission approved Tuesday, June 9.

Sheriff Phil Plummer is laying off 15 employees and eliminating 14 other vacant jobs, while trimming nearly $800,000 from his budget.

He said the public will remain safe.

“We’re working harder with less people,” said Plummer, who is laying off 10 security officers who work at the county jail and court and five deputies.

Layoffs were not used in most other county offices to achieve the across the board cuts of 2.5 percent required by commissioners. However, the clerk of courts is laying off one employee and abolishing two jobs. County commissioners will lay off 11 employees under their control and abolish four jobs.

Those employees are mostly in the public works department. They work at Thomas Cloud Park, which is being turned over to Huber Heights, or the old Family Courts building, which will be razed.

Consolidating operations from that building to the Reibold Building will save the county $600,000 annually, county Administrator Deborah Feldman said.

Union official Marcia Knox had no comment on the plan to lay off the public works employees represented by the Dayton Public Service union.

Knox, regional director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Ohio Council 8, said it is hard to know the full impact yet because the number of people laid off could change depending on how many accept voluntary separation agreements that come with lump sum payments.

Feldman said it’s possible some of those slated for layoffs could take the jobs of people who leave voluntarily.

County Clerk of Courts Greg Brush is laying off a supervisor and said he feels terrible about having to do it.

Feldman said she is proud of elected officials and department heads for going along with the cuts, which are necessary because of declines in sales tax revenue, property sale-related revenue, investments and state funding.

“We have to be fiscally responsible and we are facing an unprecedented financial challenge,” Feldman said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7455  or lhulsey@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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