A budget battle that's been raging for months between Cascade County’s Sheriff and Commissioners came to a head today.

At a press conference this afternoon, Sheriff David Castle claimed he must cut the positions of three sworn deputies, the county's only Animal Control Officer, 12 Detention Center Officers and suspend the Deputy Reserve Force of 20 volunteers. And that's not sitting well with County Commissioners.

Sheriff Castle began the press conference by saying, "The County Commission has signed contracts, increased wages negotiated labor agreements, implemented policy and procedures that obligates for this office...And then failed to fund those same obligations."

County Commissioner Joe Briggs believes that yearly raises are essential to staffing the jail and the sheriff's office with qualified people.

Briggs said, "We gave him an extra $597,170 from the general fund to cover those raises, so to contend we did not is simply untrue."

And according to budget documents provided by Briggs, the Commissioners also used nearly $140,000 in employee health care savings to help cover the raises. Sheriff Castle though, claims increases to the Commissioners' salaries are unfair, will affect public safety in Cascade County.

He said, "They have put the public at risk to increase the paycheck to their job."

In reply to that statement, Briggs said, "The Commission approved raises for everybody. The only way to get raises for our deputies is through an elected official raise because their wages are ties to the Sheriff's wage."

Castle sent a letter to Commissioners informing them about the cuts he says he's forced to make, and asked them to reply by tomorrow. But Briggs says Castle has already informed a group of detention officers that they will lose their jobs.

"I don't believe I can wait to make those initial cuts in manpower, Castle said. “We've lost the Deputies, they're gone. We've lost our Animal Control Officer…"

“I would also point out that under Montana state law the only body of county government that can make layoffs is the County Commission and the Sheriff is aware of that,” Briggs said. “I don't understand why he chooses to frighten people with these layoffs. It's not in his authority. In regard to the Animal Control Officer, the Sheriff's budget he presented to us did not even have an Animal Control Officer in it. We did not make that cut. The Sheriff made that cut before he ever presented the budget to us."

Sheriff castle is holding a public meeting about the budget issues and personnel cuts on November 12th at 6:30 pm. That meeting will take place at the Sheriff's Office, located near the Great Falls International Airport at 3800 Ulm North Frontage Road.

Commissioner Briggs says budget documents are available for public viewing at the Commission Chambers, located in the Courthouse Annex at 325 2nd Avenue North.