Vidalia — The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office is projected to drain its reserves by $1 million this fiscal year.

To date, the sheriff’s office has spent $15.3 million, but only brought in $14.1 million in revenue, according numbers provided by the CPSO.

Fiscal officer Donna Jones estimates the sheriff’s office will spend $16.7 million and bring in $15.4 million by the end of the fiscal year, a $1.3 million difference.

Jones said the sheriff’s office would cover the deficit by drawing from its reserve fund.

The sheriff’s office currently has $3.5 million in its reserve fund, but will have approximately $2.2 million left after using the fund to cover the deficit.

Sheriff Kenneth Hedrick said the deficit is largely due to a decrease in grant money, but he also cited natural disasters, like high Mississippi River levels and heavy storms.

“Each time there is a bad storm, we have to send out extra patrols to make sure our citizens are safe,” Hedrick said.

Concordia Correctional Facility Warden Lance Moore said statewide cutbacks are also impacting the prison’s budget.

“The Department of Corrections reimburses us for taking in prisoners,” Moore said. “That amount of money has steadily decreased and hasn’t increased in several years.”

Hedrick said he hasn’t made specific plans to reduce spending, but will budget before June 30 to determine where to cut back.

The current year marks the second year in a row the sheriff’s office lost more than $1 million, CPSO officials said.

In Sheriff Randy Maxwell’s final year, the sheriff’s office lost approximately $1.1 million, spending $17.1 million and generating $16 million in revenue.

Maxwell also used reserve funds to cover the deficit.

Under the current administration, more revenues have been generated in two categories — taxes and intergovernmental revenue — but less in self-generated fees, according to numbers provided by the office.

Hedrick said he didn’t know the reason for the decrease, but said he will not raise ticket prices to increase revenue.

Capital outlay was the only increased expense since Maxwell left office, from $187,157 to a projected $227,577, Jones said.

“We bought several new vehicles and a tractor as part of our capital outlay funds,” she said.

A large portion of expenses comes from personnel, Chief Deputy David Hedrick said. But cutting employees at the prison isn’t the best option, Moore said.

“We are already doing more with less,” Moore said. “I don’t know if we can do with any less than we already have.”

The sheriff’s office currently employs 308 people.

David Hedrick said his goal is to have a balanced budget next year.

“We are entering a new era in law enforcement on all sides and in all departments,” he said. “We aren’t the only ones going through trouble, but we plan to balance the budget and stop drawing from our reserve funds.”