As the nation continues to struggle due to difficult economic times, one office in Sussex County that is not feeling the pinch in a traditional way is the sheriff’s.
Sheriff sales, the result of bank foreclosures, are plentiful in number and the office is struggling with a substantial backlog.
Most of that backlog, Sheriff Jeff Christopher said, is because his office lacks the staff necessary to bring the process up to date. In his proposal to Sussex County Council weeks ago, Christopher requested the addition of two clerical positions and a fulltime deputy to assist with the backlog. He also requested another fulltime deputy to be part of what he called a “crime prevention” initiative.
Council, in its proposed fiscal 2012 budget, allotted for the two clerical positions – which were transferred into the office during the current fiscal year – and a part-time deputy.
“What the deputy’s duty is was never specified, but where we need the most help is with sheriff sales, so that’s where he’ll be,” Christopher said of the possible new hire. “We’ll readdress the situation in the next few months, see where we are and go from there.”
The additional help, while appreciated, however, might not be enough to address the backlog, the sheriff said. During his campaign for the office, Christopher’s main stump was to make it more efficient, but he said with his current employees nearing “burnout” and less help than requested possibly arriving, it will be challenging to live up to the promise.
“One of my biggest concerns is for the great staff I have here now, which is voluntarily working through breaks because they just don’t have the time to take them,” Christopher said. “I have to remind them they are people, not machines, and that if they don’t take breaks they are going to burnout.”
He added that cross-training is not a viable solution for his limited staff, because the person who would have to fill in at someone else’s position would then fall farther behind at his or her own work.
The other fulltime deputy position that Christopher wanted for “crime prevention” was not addressed at all in the county’s budget proposal. That deputy, Christopher said, would have been used to brief county residents on what they can do to assist local law enforcement and what to look for in an effort to prevent crime.
Council will revisit the budget following a public hearing at its June 14 meeting. By law, the county must adopt a budget by June 30.
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