The Rock Island County Sheriff's Department is looking to hire, but suddenly may not have the money to do it.
The Rock Island County Board is considering a new resolution that would take money away from county departments whenever someone leaves or retires and put it in a general fund. Those on the finance committee said the money allocated for those positions would be frozen, until they approved new hires.
Rock Island County Sheriff Jeff Boyd said this will be a nightmare when it comes to hiring new deputies, because he has already budgeted that money for their pay.
"I think it's a knee jerk reaction and I think it's a mistake," Boyd said.
Boyd said his number one goal is public safety. He said he asked the county board to hire two new deputies in June, July, and August. However, each time they tabled the request.
"These two positions are imperative."
He said because of the extensive training it takes before a deputy can begin working, and the availability of academy classes, he had to act soon, hiring the new deputies without approval from the finance committee. He said as a result, the finance committee has now come up with the new resolution, ensuring they have the final say when it comes to hiring.
Those on the committee said it's meant to be a system of checks and balances. However, Boyd said it will leave his department out of balance.
"It would be a nightmare."
He also thinks it could have long term effects.
"My concern is, if every time someone retires from our office that money is taken out of the budget due to this resolution through the finance committee, then what we are really doing is eliminating jobs through attrition and if that's the case we need to sit down and talk about it."
Those on the finance committee said the purpose of the resolution is not to eliminate positions or make things more difficult for county departments. They said they just want to have the final say before someone is hired, because even if the money is budgeted, things can change and they don't want any department to end up in the red.
The board will vote on the resolution Tuesday night.
