LISBON -There may be a new sheriff in town, but the request for additional deputies remains the same.

Columbiana County Sheriff Ray Stone is beginning his first full term after being appointed to the position last September and then winning election in November. After having just gone through his first budgeting process with county commissioners, Stone learned he won't be receiving any additional funding in his 2009 budget.

Like his predecessors, Stone wants to be able to add deputies to a sheriff's office. The Morning Journal determined several years ago the sheriff's staff was less than half the average size of the six other Ohio counties closest in population. There are 20 deputies on staff, but this includes Stone, the chief deputy, two detectives, the deputy assigned to the jail, and three deputies assigned to the civil division.

Stone lobbied commissioners for additional funding to add two deputies, which would enable him to reinstate the third detective position that has been left vacant for the past two years due to funding constraints. Although the two detectives share the caseload, one specializes in investigating sex crimes, and Stone said they probably average one property crime per day and one sex crime a week.

"They'll never catch up at the rate they're going," he said of the detectives. "There are burglaries we will never get to."

The second new position would allow Stone to add another deputy to the road patrol, preferably on an overlap shift of 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. "As it is, we're definitely reactive and not pro-active," he said.

Stone intends to meet with commissioners to lobby for the extra $100,000 he says is needed to add the two deputies, but he isn't optimistic given the current circumstances.

The $2.3 million sheriff's 2009 budget adopted by commissioners matches what was spent last year and doesn't even include the additional $156,000 in appropriations Stone says he needs to cover the 3.5 percent pay raise employees are due to receive this year under the union contract. Without the additional $156,000, Stone said he would have to make cuts to come up with the money to meet these mandated raises.

Commissioner Penny Traina said they are aware of the sheriff's needs but there is only so much money to go around. "When (Stone) comes to us we'll talk to him about that, but we have to look at the overall picture," she said.

As an example of the commissioners' commitment to law enforcement, Traina pointed out they borrowed $193,000 last year to purchase a new radio system for the sheriff's office and deputies, with the $44,771 in annual loan payments coming from the general fund and not the sheriff's budget.

"We felt that was important to the officers' safety," she said.

Although other communities feeling the impact of the nation's economic woes have begun laying off employees, including police officers, the county's financial situation has so far held steady, but officials are worried that could change if things continue to worsen.

In 2008, commissioners chose not to appropriate $700,000 out the $18 million-plus in revenue they had to work with. Instead, they held the money in reserve and used it to pay unanticipated expenses and provide additional funding to offices on an as-needed basis as the year progressed. Traina said they intend to take that same approach in 2009.

The largely status quo budget adopted by commissioners excluded any funding for the 4-H program, the Soil and Water Conservation District, and the county fair. "That doesn't mean we're not going to try to fund them," Traina said. "Every department is important to us."

Commissioners should have a better idea of where they stand financially in the next week or two after the auditor's office closes the books on 2008 and determine how much of a cash balance the county will be able to carry over into this year. Last year's carry-over balance was $1.1 million.