Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams says the county commission is trying to “defund the police” by withholding payment for 13 grant-funded deputies.
Williams, who faces former chief deputy Lewis Blanchard for reelection next year, is threatening to take the county to court if it doesn’t restore $1.2 million in funding to his budget.
“We are entering very dangerous territory and creating the ‘fear of crime’ where there has not been any for some time now,” Williams said in a letter to commissioners. “Moreover, it is a reckless way to prove a point!”
Clare Allen, public relations director for the sheriff’s office, distributed the letter to local media Friday.
Much of the spending, according to the letter, is tied to at least two areas: A $400,000 increase in jail medical and $550,000 to “outsource” inmates Williams said the jail is unfit to house.
Burke County sent a copy of the budget prepared for the sheriff to The Augusta Press.
The document shows a 20% increase in funding for the jail, to $3.9 million, and an 8% increase for the sheriff’s office, to $8.3 million.
It also reflects the loss of five grants. Cut in 2023 was a $233,800 grant from Plant Vogtle and $50,000 grant funded through the Waynesboro Housing Authority.
Lost in the 2024 fiscal year, which for Burke begins Oct. 1, are those as well as a $174,500 HEAT grant and $20,000 East Central Traffic Enforcement Network grant, both from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
Lastly, the department will lose $315,700 from a U.S. Department of Justice COPS grant, according to the county.
All told, the county has budgeted a combined $12.6 million for the sheriff’s office and jail while the sheriff wants at least $14.5 million.
The funds will cover what Williams said will be a staff of 140, which includes 88 sheriff’s deputies, 37 jail personnel, seven school resource officers and eight court security personnel. Burke County has a population of approximately 25,000.
The letter states Williams is exploring “having the superior court mandate” that Burke County pay the $950,000 in jail expenses, plus $200,000 for court personnel he said Burke added using “fuzzy math.”
Blanchard, who retired from Burke after five years in October 2021, cites his management of “five budgets” exceeding $10.5 million per year in campaign materials.
Williams filed a lawsuit against Burke County November 2021, asking the court to force the county to let him to process the department’s payroll using a private firm rather than the county.
While noting that Georgia law gives sheriffs wide latitude over operations of their offices, Judge Jesse Stone denied the petition.
Funding issues aren’t the only struggles Williams has faced during his second term.
About a year ago, the commission turned over documents to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation related to Williams’ spending the Vogtle grant funds.
The county determined that Williams had spent $184,700 in less than a year, including $20,115 on attorney fees. Williams returned $217,914 to the county in July 2022.
Since then, the GBI has finalized investigations into the grant spending and a second probe related to training records and turned the files over to Augusta Circuit District Attorney Jared Williams.
The DA would not comment on pending investigations.
