Frustrations and emotions ran high Tuesday evening after the Clark County Fiscal Court voted to cut more than $200,000 from the sheriff’s budget for 2020.

Members of the capacity crowd, which spilled over into the hallway, spent the better part of an hour expressing their displeasure with the court’s vote on Dec. 11 to alter the budget for the sheriff’s office for 2020.

The court voted 4-3 to cut $243,000 from the sheriff’s budget for 2020 and added other expenses traditionally assumed by the county, including FICA, phone costs and the salary of one detective.

“When I was blindsided with this at the last meeting, I knew our budget could not sustain these cuts,” Clark County Sheriff Berl Perdue Jr. said. “I would never put my deputies and staff in mental anguish of not knowing whether they have a job or not. If I have to cut staff and payroll to make these numbers work, I will but we won’t have 24-hour patrol.”

Perdue said he met with his bookkeeper and there was no way to meet the new budget without making major cuts.

Magistrate Daniel Konstantopoulos said he recommended the changes after the sheriff submitted a $2.1 million budget, but had never spent more than $1.8 million in previous years. The cuts would not take effect until the start of the new fiscal year July 1, 2020.

“Ultimately, we approved a budget of $1.855 million,” Konstantopoulos said after the meeting. “The sheriff’s office has never spent more than $1.8 million.”

He did not rule out possibly adding more funding to the sheriff’s office, though during the county budget discussions in the spring.

“We’ve got to see where the money comes in and where the other departments are,” Konstantopoulos said. “Then we really start deciding. We’re using your taxpayer dollars as wisely as we can.”

The county runs on a fiscal year, while the sheriff’s office operates on a calendar year. The sheriff is also required to end the calendar year with a zero balance. Perdue said previously the office operates on a state advancement and loans throughout the year, until the property taxes begin coming in October.

During the public comment time, nearly a dozen people aside from Perdue spoke in defense of the sheriff’s office and against the cuts. No action was taken Monday evening, and the item was not on the agenda.

One person gave magistrates Greg Elkins, Chris Davis, Joe Graham and Konstantopoulos, who voted in favor of the budget cuts, paper crowns from a fast food restaurant.

“If you let this budget (continue)… then put this crown on your head and make yourself king for a day and you can do anything you want,” Mary Craycraft said. “If something — God forbid — happens to one of these men, remember that number, $243,000, that you cut from their budget.”

“We hire you as managers,” resident Ernie Sammons said. “Fire and police are two essential services. Please reconsider your vote. This is why we pay taxes. If there’s no money, you need to look at raising taxes.”

“How can you look at these people and say they’re expendable?” Brittany Harper said.

“I think this, from a safety and security standpoint, is a monumental mistake,” Tim Steward said. “Nature hates a vacuum but crime does not.”

Clark County Coroner Robert Gayheart spoke against partisan politics.

“Unity is part of what makes a community,” he said. “Our nation is so divided but our community doesn’t need to be. …

“Vengeance is God’s, not man’s. The red party and the blue party need to get that through their thick heads. I am very concerned about the safety of my family. I ask each one of you to seriously consider … and do what’s best for Clark County.”