SWEETWATER COUNTY — The Sweetwater County Commissioners voted three-to-two in favor of sending out an email to everyone who is requesting a portion of the County budget.

The email requests that county entities, component units, and outside organizations cut their budget requests by twenty percent in anticipation of a nineteen percent reduction in revenue for the county.

The nineteen percent shortfall translates to approximately $8,200,000 for the fiscal year of 2017.

The vote split the commissioners with Randy Wendling and Reid West preferring a requested cut of fifteen percent instead of the twenty percent the majority voted for. The winning side consisted of Wally Johnson, John Kolb and Don Van Matre.

Wally Johnson said that the county cannot afford any salary increases or money set aside for bonuses with the current shortfall, “And hopefully, no layoffs,” Johnson added.

Wendling asked, “Is this an across the board cut? Are we talking about including outside agencies, and component units?”

Johnson and Kolb said the request for cuts should be across the board.

West voiced his concern, “Some of these departments don’t have the ability to do this without cutting manpower.”

Johnson said that the twenty percent request for reduction is meant to serve as a message and that individual requesters can come back and talk about what can be done on a case by case basis to prevent manpower reductions.

Johnson summed up his goal saying, “If they don’t come back with a lower number they don’t understand.”