The Curry County sheriff鈥檚 office has had to let go of 11 deputies since residents voted down a five-year property tax, which would have charged $2.23 per $1,000 of assessed value, to help fund 24-hour patrols.
Now, after further budget cuts for the county, that office will only have the sheriff and two deputies available for patrol duties. Those patrols are limited to 10 hours per day, only occurring during weekdays.
Curry County Sheriff John Ward has been with the department for over 30 years and said staffing has never been this bad.
鈥淎t this point, we've basically destroyed everything we had built up to provide public safety. And we're not being effective as it is,鈥� said Ward.
He said his officers will only be able to respond to 鈥減erson-to-person priority calls in progress鈥� while most other cases will be handled through a self-reported form on the Curry County website.
鈥淲e're still here. We're just not going to be able to provide the services that we have in the past,鈥� said Ward.
Cuts have been less dramatic next door in Coos County, which had a property tax of $.98 per $1,000 of assessed value on the ballot this past spring that voters also rejected. That revenue would have funded more deputy district attorneys and added beds to the county鈥檚 jail.
The Coos County sheriff鈥檚 office had to cut just a couple positions and delay the replacement of vehicles. But that鈥檚 because the county dipped into a fund used to purchase forest for timber harvesting. Coos County Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio said that money won鈥檛 be there next year.
鈥淚t's just a stopgap, using the reserve funds from the forestry department鈥�. to try to figure something else out,鈥� he said.
Both sheriffs want to put taxes on the ballot again to fund their offices in this November鈥檚 general election. Fabrizio said he鈥檚 going to be more direct with voters this time.
鈥淚'm going to make it really simple鈥� [The levy] is going to fund the jail and county operations. And if it fails, then there's going to be a reduction in services,鈥� said Fabrizio.
Curry County Sheriff John Ward is still considering options for a ballot measure, including the creation of a new tax district.
