Beginning at 7 a.m. Thursday (Sept. 27) all patrol officers at the Chattooga County Sheriff's Department will go from an 84 hour work schedule per two-week pay period, to an 80 hour schedule, with no overtime.

The change is to address the county's budget woes, since County Commissioner Jason Winter's says that the county cannot cover the budget overruns of the Sheriff's Department.  It had been reported that the sheriff’s department was looking at furloughs to reduce the budget but that is not the case.  According to information obtained by AM 1180 yesterday, the Sheriff's Department is not considering employee furloughs at this time, that according to Sheriff's Department Captain Ken Anderson.

The new schedule puts some officers in different rotations but should save the department a little more than $900 per pay period or just more than $1900 per month. The new schedule has first shift deputies working from 7 AM to 3 PM with an overlapping shift coming on duty at 11 AM and working until 9 PM. Second shift comes on at 5 PM and works until 3 AM. Third shift patrol hits the streets at 9 PM and works until 7 AM.

Anderson says the new schedule will keep deputies on the roads at all times and will help alleviate some of the department's budget problems.