Sheriff Discusses Budget Impasse at Community Meeting Monday

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – Dawson County Sheriff Jeff Johnson held a community meeting at the Professional Development Center Monday to explain the basis of the budget dispute between his office and the Board of Commissioners.

Between 30 and 35 people attended the hour-long meeting and about two-thirds were sheriff’s office employees.

Johnson requested a budget of $8,961,406 but commissioners approved only $8,273,080. “If nothing changes with this budget, it’s going to put us in a very difficult position,” he said.

Johnson acknowledged that his entire staff, along with other county employees, received a substantial pay raise recently. “I applaud that raise,” he said. And, he added, “We now have the nicest fleet (of cars) we have ever had.”

But, he pointed out that a 2015 study showed there were 139 positions in the sheriff’s office and today only 112. “In 2010, there were 116 employees, four more than today,” Johnson stated.

Joey Homans, the sheriff’s attorney, notified the county last month that he has filed a petition for mandamus in Superior Court stating that the budget approved constitutes “abuse of discretion” by the commissioners in that they failed to fulfill their duty to adopt a budget making reasonable and adequate provisions for personnel and equipment necessary to enable the Sheriff to perform his duties.

Speaking at last night’s meeting, Homans said the dispute is all about positions. “We’ve asked that nine positions be unfrozen and one new position,” he said. “The one position commissioners approved out of those 10 was for a school resource officer.”

Homans said he had made several recommendations about how the sheriff’s budget request could be funded. “But we can’t even get anybody to sit down at a table and talk with us,” he added.

Reached at his office Tuesday morning, Commission Chairman Billy Thurmond said commissioners have met with the sheriff and his attorney on more than one occasion.

“Obviously, we have met with the sheriff and his attorney and all those meetings were open to the public because I want as much transparency as possible,” he said. “I have also met with the sheriff in his office and I know some of the other commissioners have met with him also.”

Thurmond added should the budget impasse wind up in court, “I’m confident we have done our due diligence in providing adequate funding for the Sheriff’s Office.”

 

 

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