DuPage sheriff still faces staffing cuts

Unless there is a dramatic change of opinion among DuPage County Board members, Sheriff John Zaruba eventually will need to eliminate eight full-time positions from his department.

County board members on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to keep the department’s authorized head count at 538. Jim Zay and Don Puchalski were the only county board members who supported it.

As a result, DuPage’s proposed budget plan for the 2013 fiscal year continues to call for the head count at the sheriff’s office to be reduced by eight positions to 530 employees.

Zaruba has said the suggested head count of 530 doesn’t account for the 15 deputies who are either on disability leave, on family maternity leave or receiving workers’ compensation.

While the sheriff is expected to get an allowance for seven deputies who are on disability or another type of leave, eight jobs still would have to be eliminated.

DuPage officials have said the goal of the budget plan isn’t to lay off anyone. Instead, the intention is to let eight positions go unfilled as deputies leave.

County board members have until Nov. 30 to approve a final draft of the budget. The county’s fiscal year begins Dec. 1.