Bergen sheriff proposes a quarter million less for 2013 budget
Friday, April 5, 2013 Last updated: Saturday April 6, 2013, 11:26 AM
BY SHAWN BOBURG
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino on Friday proposed a 2013 budget that is $250,000 less than last year’s.
The $59.9 million spending plan represents a 0.5 percent reduction, and most of that savings comes from replacing recent retirees with lower-paid officers, Saudino said.
“I gave a campaign promise that, if elected, I would cut spending as much as possible,” Saudino said after the hearing.
The Board of County Freeholders will have the final say on the budget for the Sheriff, who is responsible for the county jail and courthouse security, as well as other county agencies. The freeholder board is expected to adopt a budget in the coming weeks.
The Sheriff’s budget proposal, unveiled at a hearing Friday with the freeholders, comes after Bergen’s top administrator, County Executive Kathleen Donovan, proposed keeping the Sheriff’s budget level. And Saudino made it a point several times during the hearing Friday to remind freeholders that he had gone lower, underscoring an ongoing feud between the two.
