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Mecklenburg County trimming budget by 15 percent

Posted by Jeff Rivenbark - email

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - The Mecklenburg County Manager has asked all department heads to slash spending by 15 percent.

The cuts affect everything from county law enforcement to health and human services.

Places like the Mecklenburg County Health Department which provide free care to those lacking insurance are the first to feel the chill when the economy goes in to a deep freeze.

The county medical director has not yet listed what services could be stripped, but some of those on the receiving end are bracing for what is often viewed as the short end of the stick.

"With budget cuts, I can't imagine where people would go to get health care," said Kara Crowder, a client at the Mecklenburg County Health Department.

"In our business, when you have downturns in the economy like this, the service demand gets higher," said Mecklenburg County Sheriff Daniel "Chipp" Bailey.

He is worried about department staffing levels not only in the jail, but system wide.

While 15 percent is a big hit to take, the Sheriff isn't planning to tinker with his department's workforce.

"I don't foresee us cutting people [or] laying off people," he said.

Even programs carried out by Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation are on the chopping block, and Director Jim Garges says some building projects are now on hold.

It is the waiting that brings worry to those like Kara Crowder who depend on county services to get by in a tight economy.

"We're lucky to have a place to go for people without health insurance," and she added, "I don't know what would happen if it got cut."