UNICOI SHERIFF TO USE DRUG FUND TO HELP WITH 'NO-WASTE' BUDGET

ERWIN - Saying he "would let the drug dealers buy him cruisers and
equipment," Unicoi County Sheriff Kent Harris presented an operating
budget to the Unicoi County finance committee Thursday night that was
$16,000 less for his department than was funded last year. In
addition, Harris said his department "has turned back into the county
about $132,000 by housing state prisoners and utilizing the work
release program."

The sheriff said he proposed a slight increase for the Unicoi County
Jail his department runs "as food, natural gas and gasoline costs have
risen. I know the county is hurting financially, and I won't ask for
money when I can use the drug fund," he said. "This is a no-waste
budget with no luxuries."

If passed, the budget for the Unicoi County Jail side of the budget
would be $12,000 more than last year, bringing the 2004-05 budget for
the sheriff's department and jail to a total of $793,000 for the
sheriff's department and $294,000 to operate the Unicoi County Jail.
However, the sheriff was mandated by the state to hire another
part-time jailer, and he added a domestic violence officer.

Harris said the drug fund was broke when he took office. On Thursday,
the drug fund balance was more than $50,000, and Harris thinks he will
have "about $160,000 to use in drug fund monies the coming year."

Harris, who said he was successful in the last year in amassing extra
funds through efforts of cutting down on illegal drug activity in
Unicoi County, hopes to sell a house confiscated recently from one
drug dealer estimated to be worth more than $100,000.

"The house and proceeds from drug stings will give us the ability to
keep our budget under control next year," he said. "Without the drug
funds, we would not be able to give the public the level of service I
think we are providing."

"There are some ineligible items we can't buy with drug fund money,"
he said. "But we have been able to purchase items and pay for things
through the drug fund, which enables the sheriff's department to be in
a position of not having to go the the county commission for those
funds."

The county finance committee has been holding one-on-one meetings with
officeholders in an effort to compile next year's budget and fix a tax
rate. The county's fiscal year begins July 1. Commissioners have said
they won't raise property taxes in their "bare bones" budget.

Through a successful grant process, the sheriff was able to add the
domestic violence officer recently. He is asking for salary increases
for road officers "to $10 an hour."

"They're all certified, and it's a shame they aren't at that level
now, as most are making a little over $9 an hour," Harris said.
"That's way below what they deserve."

The finance committee took the sheriff's department budget under
advisement for the time being. The county's fiscal year begins July 1.