Augusta County Sheriff's Office readies for cuts

Twelve deputies could be pulled from the streets under proposed state budget cuts, Augusta County Sheriff Randy Fisher said Monday.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s latest budget plan would slash $430,000, the equivalent of the total annual pay for about a dozen deputies, a year after the Sheriff’s Office cut spending by more than $200,000, Fisher said.

“I know what Kaine has proposed and it’s very bleak for us,” Fisher said. “I have nothing left to cut but salaries.”

The Sheriff’s Office currently employs one deputy for every 1,500 residents, Fisher said. If he eliminates a dozen deputies from the payroll, the ratio would change to one for every 2,000, similar to the numbers in the 1970s and 1980s, he said.

The budget already has been whittled to bone, the sheriff said, citing cuts in spending on uniforms, vehicles and equipment.

Augusta is not alone, said John W. Jones, of the Virginia Sheriff’s Association.

The governor’s plan calls for cuts of more than $164 million for sheriff’s offices statewide over two years, Jones said. The Sheriff’s Association, a 76-year-old organization, plans to lobby the General Assembly on behalf of sheriff’s departments, he said.

“These cuts are incredibly draconian,” Jones said. “It’s not like you get to choose. You can’t cut paper clips. They’ve already been cut.”

If the lobbying effort fails, Fisher said, the differences will be noticeable.

“Basically, the citizens of the commonwealth and of Augusta County are going to see less deputies on the street,” he said. “There are going to be fewer of us to answer calls and response times will increase.

“It is what it is. You’re taking your work force and cutting it by 20 percent is what you’re doing.”

The Staunton and Waynesboro police departments also experienced budget setbacks, though not as severe as the Sheriff’s Office, Staunton police Chief Jim Williams said.

“It’s not as alarming for cities but it’s not good news for any of us,” he said. “And there’ve been a lot of things that have either dried up or it’s less money than we’re used to getting.”

The Staunton Police Department avoided eliminating jobs, opting instead to freeze several positions as they became vacant, he said.

State spending on city law enforcement agencies decreased across the board after a series of revisions, Williams said.

Almost $70,000 has been cut from Waynesboro’s fund and $82,000 from Staunton’s, according to a state Grants Administration memo released Dec. 28.

Waynesboro police Chief Doug Davis said he cut about $50,000 from his department’s budget, and plans to cut more.

“We were just looking at everything,” Davis said. “Nothing is too small to look at.”

Davis said he cut overtime hours and spending on equipment and new officer training.