CROWN POINT | Lake County fiscal leaders are set to begin walking a fine line this week, balancing public safety and the county justice system with the need to cut costs.
The Lake County Council is scheduled to open its 2009 budget sessions Tuesday with the mission of whittling down the current spending ceiling of $132 million, nearly half of which goes to the criminal and civil courts, the sheriff and prosecutor and public defenders.
Early debate has fallen into two camps -- across-the-board slashes of 10 percent to 20 percent for all government agencies or targeted budget strikes against the explosive growth of law enforcement.
The council's finance committee, which brainstormed budget strategies last month, identified 18 ways to cut or eliminate the sheriff's marine unit, the sheriff's work-release program, the crime laboratory, patrol division, courts staff and other programs.
"I'm sure we'll hear (from officeholders) that there will be blood in the streets," said Councilman Ted Bilski, D-Hobart.
Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez -- whose police, jail work-release and animal control budgets exceed $29.7 million -- initially complained the finance committee had a political agenda against him. But he mellowed his comments Friday.
"We will be making every effort to reduce cost and provide quality service," he said, adding he already has saved money by reducing his vehicle fleet, trimming the use of take-home cars and cutting back on gas use.
He recommends the Lake County Council and commissioners bear down in future contract negotiations with jail corrections officers.
He said their current work calendar generates more than $300,000 a year in unnecessary overtime.
Prosecutor Bernard Carter, whose criminal and child-support divisions spend $5.8 million, has thrown up his hands in surrender.
"There may be other departments that will fight this. I'm not going to fight them. We already are outgunned and outspent by the defense," Carter said.
He said he could eliminate his program to obtain court-ordered child support from deadbeat parents, "but that would be a travesty. We have 60,000 cases where individuals would have to go to private attorneys who would be too expensive," Carter said.
The Lake County circuit and superior courts with civil, criminal and juvenile jurisdictions have budgets totalling $29 million and judges with the power to overcome budget cuts with mandates if they feel the administration of justice would be compromised.
Superior Court County Division Judge Julie Cantrell said, "I am certainly willing to do my share, but I want to make sure everybody is doing it. A few years ago, I was told to (reduce). There were no consequences for the people who didn't."
