VALPARAISO | It did not take long for problems to develop Monday after the County Council agreed to immediately eliminate overtime pay and move county employees back to compensatory time.

"That is going to take police officers off the street and jailers out of the jail," Porter County Sheriff David Lain said.

The problem develops because the Sheriff's Department must comply with minimum staffing standards and has specialists, such as accident reconstructionists, who may have to be called in from an earned day off if a need develops, he said.

"It's a snowball effect," Lain said.

Council member Mike Bucko said he could not understand why the department cannot make compensatory time work by finding replacements for those required to take time off.

Lain said what has been working for the department is a closely monitored approach using both compensatory time and overtime.

The heated debate surfaced as the County Council continued work on next year's budget. The Sheriff's Department is of particular concern because income generated from housing federal and state inmates at the jail is down considerably.

Council member Karen Conover said the group's goal is to avoid cutting employees, their pay or their take-home police cars.

Eliminating overtime pay reduced the department's proposed budget by $100,000, but that was not nearly enough to make ends meet. Among the other cuts was $13,600 the department had set aside toward the cost of security at the county fair.

The money was used to pay for reserve officers, Lain said. The Fair Board pays an estimated $27,000 to hire other county officers to work security.

Council member Rita Stevenson touched off another round of debate when she suggested the department address its budget problems by considering having officers work 12-hour shifts.

Conover said it is her understanding the move has gone over well for police officers in Valparaiso.

Lain had several concerns about the move, but agreed to put together a proposal for the council.

"It is not a panacea," he said.