After extensive budget discussions Monday morning, the Fayette County Commission voted to cut the budgets of four divisions of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department by a collective $35,397.

In some cases, the commission was simply adjusting the various requests to be in line with the money actually spent by the particular division in the current year.

But one of the cutbacks to the criminal investigations division budget went a little deeper: The commission halved the funds for a travel request to send 11 persons to a hostage negotiation training session in Jacksonville, Fla.

“I think they probably need two or three for the whole department,” said County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn.

Another of the cuts in the criminal investigations division was a $1,300 request for “court badges, service pins, rockers and various patches.” Commissioner Linda Wells said if those items couldn’t be covered under the annual $650 uniform allotment for each employee, “you don’t need them.”

Commissioners also questioned a request for a $400 clothing allowance for two clerks in the administrative division of the sheriff’s department. Dunn said the five divisions of the sheriff’s department were seeking more than $173,000 combined for uniforms, a 24 percent increase from last year.

“This is one of the problems I have with us having five different budgets,” from the sheriff’s department, Dunn said.

The commission decided to settle up the uniform issues for the entire department at a later date, most likely at Thursday’s special called meeting at 5 p.m.

The jail cuts were directly related to the purchasing of a computer, printer and software for the C Cellblock, which is currently not in use. The jail population is averaging about 220 persons, Dunn noted.

Not everything on the table Monday was about a budget cut, however. County Finance Director Mark Pullium noted that he recommended an increase to the sheriff’s fuel budget to account for price increases: the sheriff had asked for $364,000 for gas and Pullium increased the figure to nearly $405,000.

Dunn also questioned the estimate of $4,000 in repairs for each vehicle in the sheriff’s criminal investigations division. But new Commissioner Robert Horgan, who owns two Mr. Transmission shops, said that figure is likely a good estimate.

“I wouldn’t say that’s an excessive amount,” Horgan said.

Dunn questioned why jail staff would need 48 cases of ammunition when the entire patrol division only needs 32 cases.

“This is just a slush fund of ammunition there,” Dunn said.

In unanimous votes, the commission cut the sheriff’s administrative division by $2,300, the patrol division by $18,000, the criminal investigations division by $12,572 and the jail division by $2,525. All four department’s initial budget request combined for more than $12.8 million.

Several times during the hearing, officials recalled last week’s ruling from Senior Superior Court Judge William Ison that the county commission can’t tell the sheriff how to spend his funds.

The commission has not yet reviewed the budgets for the sheriff’s department’s traffic division, though Wells credited that division of the sheriff’s department for always presenting a good budget request.

The commission also voted Monday on the $671,903 budget for the county Marshal’s Department, a figure that includes two additional full-time personnel: one that will be hired at the beginning of the fiscal year and the other that will be hired at the mid-way point.

The commission also voted to fund a total of $20,000 for Promise Place, a non-profit organization that helps victims of domestic violence. The agency had asked for $30,000, but Wells, who helped found the organization, said that accounted for too much of the agency’s $140,000 budget for her liking.

Promise Place Executive Director Sonja Strickland said the agency helps victims establish temporary protective orders through the Fayette County Magistrate Court and also helps victims with counseling and other services. The agency has seen an increase in the number of clients served, with more than 500 victims assisted in the past year, representing 600 affected children.

Promise Place also offers an educational seminar to students at local schools about dating violence and helps victims prepare safety plans. The organization also operates a transitional home where victims and their families can stay for up to 18 months to get their lives back on track, Strickland said.