Layoffs part of countywide $400,000 spending reduction
In anticipation of projected decreased tax revenue, the Logan County Sheriff’s Office has announced that 21 staff members, including some road deputies and corrections staff will be laid off effective Saturday, May 2, for at least two months.
Logan County Sheriff Randy Dodds confirmed the layoffs by telephone Tuesday evening.
“We expect these layoffs to continue through at least mid-July, but do have every intention of bringing everyone back,” the sheriff said.
Three road deputies and a number of corrections officers are among affected staff members. Some older personnel voluntarily accepted the layoff, which also had to be negotiated with the department’s union.
The layoff of 21 staff members is still far less than the 46 LCSO staff members that were laid off in 2008 at the height of the great recession, Dodds recalled.
Despite the layoffs, Dodds emphasized the sheriff’s office would still be able to maintain “adequate staffing” during the layoffs. Road patrol deputies have been working 12 hours shifts, and that arrangement is likely to continue.
Layoffs at the sheriff’s office are among across-the-board reductions of some 3 percent for all Logan County agencies, as county officials project income and sales tax revenue shortfalls totaling over $700,000, which would represent some 10 percent of anticipated tax revenue in April and May.
Logan County Commissioners have passed a budget reduction resolution to decrease countywide appropriations by nearly $400,000. Layoffs at the sheriff’s office have been the only reductions in staff at this time.
“Everyone has had to take a cut, but I’m confident we’ll get through this and still be able to maintain the level of service that our residents of Logan County have come to expect,” the sheriff concluded.