EATON, Ohio -- The Preble County Sheriff said he has no choice by to lay off a half-dozen employees.

The layoffs are a result of a lack of money and a tight economy.

County officials met during a commission meeting on Wednesday morning and talked about what the county is going to need to do to make ends meet.

Every department in the county, including the sheriff’s office, has to cut 5 percent of its budget.

Preble County officials have a $10 million budget deficit, and $4 million of that is in the sheriff's department.

Sheriff Mike Simpson said he's already cut staff at the jail and the dispatch center down to bare minimums, and now he may have to cut members of his road patrol.

Simpson said he has managed to get his budget reduced to about 3.5 percent, but said that reduction threatens the safety of the community.

He said he will half to let six deputies go and the detective section will be eliminated with those deputies moving to road patrol.

According to Simpson, he has to make a decision by Friday because after that he will already be into the 2009 budget.

Simpson said, “It’s just frustrating.”

He is concerned because he does not see any other staff reductions being made in other county departments.

But with the economy showing no signs of turning around just yet, commissioners feel they must act. Commissioner David Wessler said, "We're trying to look ahead and be proactive on this. If we don't, the situation will only compound in the future."