Chippewa County Sheriff's Department considering cutting four - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports

Chippewa County (WQOW) - An area sheriff's office is considering slashing its budget by nearly $500,000.

The Chippewa County Sheriff's Office is working on next year's budget and right now, it's considering eliminating an office manager position, along with not filling four open deputy positions.  The proposal also includes a cut to the overtime budget. The sheriff says the cuts could have a significant impact on response time.

"When you lose personnel I think everyone knows services will be affected. The availability of what people are used to when they dial 911, when they call the sheriff's department and they need assistance, we might be to the point where there are certain services and certain calls that we don't entertain," says Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk.

Chippewa County will no longer house Eau Claire County jail inmates. That led to a loss of revenue and is part of the reason for the proposed cutbacks, along with a required spending freeze by the county. The department's final budget is due in October.