Mecklenburg County Outlines Budget Cuts To Save $17M

Mecklenburg County is cutting about $17 million from its budget immediately.

The sheriff's office gets hit hardest dollar-wise. It has to hold off on hiring 56 jailers, and now it's going to wait on opening the youthful offender facility. The Gatling Juvenile Detention Center in Huntersville will close for good March 1. The 12 inmates there will go to state facilities.

Brett Loftis runs the Council For Children's Rights, which has lawyers who represent minors who can't afford attorneys. He said, "Whenever you take services away from at-risk children, they become at-risk adults and then we wind up confining them or them being on the welfare role. So, it's a short-term fix for a long-term problem."

All of the cuts make a dent in the county's $46 million funding gap, and, so far, no county workers are losing their jobs.

The county is also cutting $2.1 million for indigent care, about $2.5 million for mental health care, mainly for new clients, and $2.1 for MEDIC's emergency funds, leaving it with $400,000 rainy day dollars.

The county is trimming about $2 million from the health department, nixing money for a childhood obesity program and plans for a prenatal center.

County manager Harry Jones Sr. slashed $400,000 from his own budget and expects he and county will have to cut even more.

"This is our first blush at it. I continue to believe that our revenue picture will decline, and we may have to come back and ask some other community partners to participate at a higher level," he said.

Few managers will face the budget cuts quite like Grayce Crockett. She runs the Area Mental Health department for Mecklenburg County.

She must make almost $2.5 million in cuts.

"The reductions for us will impact new programs we were planning," she said.

In Crockett's department, the planned programs were for those with developmental disabilities and mental illness.

She said no current clients will be impacted.

VIDEO: County Offices Face More Budget Cuts

VIDEO: Mecklenburg County Outlines Budget Cuts To Save $17M