FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Despite a 12 percent budget cut by the Fayette County Commission, Sheriff Steve Kessler believes the Sheriff’s Department and the county as a whole will be better off in the long run.
“It’s not going to impact us at this point,” Kessler said. “I think the County Commission was very prudent when they realized that, this loss of revenue through the filing of the bankruptcy by Alpha Energies, they realized that we are going to lose some money on taxes.”
The budget cuts are being viewed by the County Commission as a proactive step to stay ahead of reduced tax revenues from the bankruptcies of Alpha Natural Resources and Walter Energy.
Kessler said that he’s not going to lose any of the department’s 34 deputies, but will have to put a hold on plans to add two additional deputies to station inside the Courthouse and the Courthouse Annex.
“We’re fortunate we’re not going to lose anybody,” he said. “You know we just didn’t gain two more slots, and that’s okay. But we didn’t lose anybody.”
He said the department will proceed with caution and frugality in their budget until the county feels less threatened by the bankruptcies.
“It was made plain to all office holders, be very, very frugal with what you’re doing,” Kessler said. “We made some adjustments. We can live with those adjustments, but we still provide essential services just like we’ve been doing.”
Commissioners decided to put scheduled projects on hold, and will implement a hiring freeze. Elected officials also will see less money for overtime and travel.
But unlike neighboring Nicholas County, where lay-offs increased the need for State Police presence, Fayette County has so far escaped the budget cut without needing to terminate a single employment.
“We can make some budget cuts,” Kessler said. “We’ll still provide the services that we’ve been providing, but you need to tighten your belt a little bit. We’ll weather the storm.”
According to Kessler, the Sheriff’s Office has 34 deputies to cover the entire county on a 24-hour basis. They’ve made that work, but he hasn’t abandoned the idea of adding two deputies for Courthouse duty.
For now, though, any expansions will have to wait.