An effort to amend the 2024 Jefferson County budget to change the source of some funding for the Sheriff’s Department failed as eight justices of the peace voted against it.
That vote came after Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr., was asked to address the issue and said he was not happy about the change.
Specifically, more than $1.379 million that was to be taken from the Public Safety Salex Tax was reduced to $900,000 with the balance of the allocation, $479,917 being pulled from the Detention Facilities Maintenance and Operation Fund.
After the meeting, County Judge Gerald Robinson explained his reasons for proposing the amended budget.
Voting against the amendment were Justices of the Peace Reginald Adams, Alfred Carroll, Melanie Dumas, Lloyd Franklin, Brenda Bishop Gaddy, Cedric Jackson, Reginald Johnson and Margarette Williams.
With the amended budget adjustment failing, there is still a question of whether or not the total designated for the sheriff’s office will all come from the Public Safety Tax budget.
