OPD, LCSD Present Fiscal Year 2021 Budgets With Little Change

By Alyssa Schnugg
News editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

The Oxford Police Department and Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department have both presented their budgets for review before their respective governing boards recently.

While both departments’ budgets for the 2020-2021 fiscal year were less than the current year’s budgets, OPD was able to reduce its budget by almost 5 percent, from $8.1 million this year to $7.7 million for 2021.

The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.

OPD employees 80 officers. While some were furloughed due to COVID-19, most have returned to work or will be the end of July, said Chief Jeff McCutchen, who presented the budget to the Oxford Board of Aldermen Wednesday.

Salaries, insurance and retirement benefits take up much of the department’s budget at $6.3 million. About $447K is budgeted for supplies, like fuel, prisoner care and mounted patrol and K9 unit supplies.

Training and travel were reduced for the 2021 year, mostly due to COVID-19, McCutchen said.

“Most training classes are online now,” he said.

McCutchen is asking to purchase five new vehicles – four Dodge Chargers and one Dodge Durango SUV at $119,000.

Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department requested budget for the fiscal year 2021 is $5,721,476, down slightly from the 2020 budget of $5,758,482.

Salaries, benefits, retirement and other personnel expenses make up $3.4 million of the budget. The department has 44 deputies.

Sheriff Joey East submitted the budget before the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors last week.

East is asking for nine vehicles and budgeted $378,000 for their purchase, down from $518,000 in the 2020 budget.

The budget for training was increased from $19,500 to $30,000.

The city and county are continuing to meeting with department heads this month to review the budgets for each department.

The budgets for both Oxford and Lafayette County need to be completed, presented before the public and approved by Sept. 15.