EATON COUNTY, Mich. — Eaton County commissioners voted Friday to eliminate all vacant positions in the prosecutor's office and sheriff's office, cutting from the county budget.
- Eaton County commissioners voted to eliminate all vacant positions in the prosecutor's and sheriff's offices, resulting in the removal of 4 vacant positions from the prosecutor's office and 18 from the sheriff's office, amid intense debate.
- Delta Township officials are working toward a new contract for Delta Patrol services, with optimism from Supervisor Fonda Brewer about reaching a new agreement, despite changes from the current contract.
- Watch video below for more insights on the impact of budget cuts to public safety and updates on the Delta Township contract negotiations.
The board of commissioners' decision removes four vacant positions from the prosecutor's office and 18 vacant positions from the sheriff's office.
Debate over how many positions to cut was intense during the special county board meeting.
WATCH VIDEO
"If you can't cut vacant positions, how are you going to cut a position that has a warm body in it?" Said Keith Barber, Eaton County Commissioner.
Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd called it "a day that changes public safety here in Eaton County."
"In my office, now with the shortage of individuals there's only so many hours in the day I'll be making those decisions on which cases to prosecute," Lloyd said.
The county may consider further cuts at a budget meeting scheduled for late June.
Meanwhile, Eaton County and Delta Township officials say they are making progress toward a new contract for Delta Patrol services. The current agreement, which provides sheriff's deputies to patrol Delta Township, expires in September.
Delta Township does not have its own police department and relies on county deputies through this contract arrangement.
Delta Township Supervisor Fonda Brewer expressed optimism about reaching a new agreement, though she acknowledged it would differ from the current contract.
"I think we've all made a commitment to work towards a solution, so the table was set with that, that let's try and work on a path forward," Brewer said.
Brewer indicated a presentation on a potential solution should be made within the next two weeks.
The majority of Delta Township voters supported recent ballot measures that would have raised taxes to fund public safety, but those measures failed when counting votes across the entire county.
"Delta Township voted yes, they said yes we do not want to live in a community where there's not public safety," Brewer said.
Any cuts approved in Friday's meeting will not take effect until the new budget year begins October 1.
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