According to Gordon County District Attorney Joe Campbell, the Cherokee Judicial Circuit has furloughed employees for about 20 days this year.
“That is almost a month,” Campbell said. “It is a sacrifice.”
Campbell said the furloughs were a voluntary measure to stave off any potential job losses, and the furloughs dates have been scheduled around court dates to not interfere with trials or investigations.
“So far we have successfully avoided any layoffs,” Campbell said.
Campbell did point out that those furloughs have only affected state employees at the DA’s office, not the six Gordon County employees that work in the Cherokee Circuit.
“Gordon County has managed to avoid furloughs,” Campbell said.
However, troopers stationed in Gordon County have not faired as well. The GSP has taken more furlough days than any other state department, 24 days in a single year.
“We need to get more troopers on the road,” Rep. John Meadows (R-Calhoun) told the Calhoun Times last week. “We have a huge number of vacancies, but no new hires. We have been short troopers for three years. They were the hardest hit area when the governor cut the budget. We are ripping and tearing up the interstate like nobody’s business and now there are too few troopers.”
Currently, the Georgia Department of Public Safety has 360 vacancies for officers, but those positions will remain unfilled due to budget cuts.
Col. Bill Hitchens, commissioner of public safety, said, in an effort to save money, highway weigh stations are operated periodically, resulting in $13 million in lost revenue due to fines. Hitchens said the cost to employ personnel to run the stations would only be around $3 million.
“Everything is based on budget,” said Campbell. “Everything has to be balanced.”
Campbell said that while furloughs have been made, employees in his department are still working to bring justice to Gordon County.
“We live to help the victims of crime,” Campbell said.
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