S.L. County sheriff seeks 'wiggle room' in staff reduction

Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder asked for, and received, tentative approval Tuesday for a little wiggle room in countywide work force reductions proposed by Mayor Peter Corroon that look to trim the 4,000-strong employee roll by 5 percent in the coming year.

The sheriff's department already has been granted a small exemption, in the area of sworn deputies, to the asked-for cuts, but Winder told the council that achieving the mayor's goals, which would require cutting 38 corrections jobs, would have deleterious effects on programs under his jurisdiction.

The staffing reduction goals are expected to be met through natural attrition, following a hard hiring freeze imposed last month by the County Council.

"The concept of the hiring freeze will significantly impact our system," Winder said. "We ask that you reconsider the freeze on civilians who are in direct support of sworn officers ... and hold harmless positions in our correctional staff."

Winder told the council that full staffing in corrections recently had been achieved for the first time since 2004, and any reductions to that staff would exacerbate problems already posed by a chronically overfull Salt Lake County Jail.

The council voted unanimously to allow Winder to find other areas to make cuts that would provide the same fiscal reductions represented by the 5 percent employee reductions.

Council members are asking elected officials and department heads to consider where budget reductions beyond those being requested by the mayor could come from, in light of continuing dire economic predictions for the coming year. The county's governing body has until Dec. 9 to complete a final budget for 2009.

---

E-mail: araymond@desnews.com