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Shasta County sheriff lays off 25 employees
Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko issued 25 layoff notices this week and released a timeline for closing a floor of the county jail as part of department budget cuts.
Forty-seven positions within the Sheriff's Office have been cut, resulting in the layoffs of 25 employees. Twenty-six positions are already vacant. Positions being cut include 18 deputies, three sergeants, one lieutenant, 12 public safety service officers and six correctional officers. The layoffs are effective July 1.
Bosenko said he made the cuts because he's facing a budget deficit of more than $3 million.
Plans call for one floor of the jail to be closed, resulting in the release of about 150 inmates. Bosenko said the releases will begin in mid-June, with several inmates released each day until the floor is emptied July 1.
"It's a threat to public safety with these releases," Bosenko said. "And we're looking at 60,000 releases from California state prisons as well."
Bosenko said he is extremely concerned about public safety with the jail releases, layoffs and closing of the work-release program, resulting in 800 to 1,000 inmates not serving their sentences. The Burney station will be closed to the public and the Intermountain Area patrols will be reduced to 16 hours a day.
Bosenko said he understands that sacrifices have to be made and that county departments statewide are experiencing the same budget pains. But with crime on the rise, he said this is the worst time to make these cuts.
"I think it's important to keep that floor of the jail open and the work-release program open and have patrols on the streets," he said. "But with these cuts, I can't do this. I need help from the public to emphasize the importance of public safety."
Shasta County Supervisor Glenn Hawes said the Board of Supervisors will begin looking at next year's budget in June and will determine which cuts are vital to the Sheriff's Office and which are not.
"I think (the sheriff is) getting prepared for what might happen," he said. "It's a mess."
Hawes said the county is at risk of losing all its tax revenue to the state because all but one of the propositions from Tuesday's special election failed. If that happens, schools will likely get hit hard and even more countywide cuts will be necessary, he said.
"Nobody knows exactly how all this is going to play out," he said. "We're just going through the early steps."
The Board of Supervisors will begin the process of compiling the 2009-2010 budget at a workshop June 8. All county departments will be present and each will be scrutinized to see what cuts are necessary, Hawes said.
Reporter Amanda Winters can be reached at 225-8372 or [email protected].
Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko issued 25 layoff notices this week and released a timeline for closing a floor of the county jail as part of department budget cuts.
Forty-seven positions within the Sheriff's Office have been cut, resulting in the layoffs of 25 employees. Twenty-six positions are already vacant. Positions being cut include 18 deputies, three sergeants, one lieutenant, 12 public safety service officers and six correctional officers. The layoffs are effective July 1.
Bosenko said he made the cuts because he's facing a budget deficit of more than $3 million.
Plans call for one floor of the jail to be closed, resulting in the release of about 150 inmates. Bosenko said the releases will begin in mid-June, with several inmates released each day until the floor is emptied July 1.
"It's a threat to public safety with these releases," Bosenko said. "And we're looking at 60,000 releases from California state prisons as well."
Bosenko said he is extremely concerned about public safety with the jail releases, layoffs and closing of the work-release program, resulting in 800 to 1,000 inmates not serving their sentences. The Burney station will be closed to the public and the Intermountain Area patrols will be reduced to 16 hours a day.
Bosenko said he understands that sacrifices have to be made and that county departments statewide are experiencing the same budget pains. But with crime on the rise, he said this is the worst time to make these cuts.
"I think it's important to keep that floor of the jail open and the work-release program open and have patrols on the streets," he said. "But with these cuts, I can't do this. I need help from the public to emphasize the importance of public safety."
Shasta County Supervisor Glenn Hawes said the Board of Supervisors will begin looking at next year's budget in June and will determine which cuts are vital to the Sheriff's Office and which are not.
"I think (the sheriff is) getting prepared for what might happen," he said. "It's a mess."
Hawes said the county is at risk of losing all its tax revenue to the state because all but one of the propositions from Tuesday's special election failed. If that happens, schools will likely get hit hard and even more countywide cuts will be necessary, he said.
"Nobody knows exactly how all this is going to play out," he said. "We're just going through the early steps."
The Board of Supervisors will begin the process of compiling the 2009-2010 budget at a workshop June 8. All county departments will be present and each will be scrutinized to see what cuts are necessary, Hawes said.
Reporter Amanda Winters can be reached at 225-8372 or [email protected].
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