Sheriff Mike Scott will personally deliver his proposed budget for fiscal year ’11-’12 to the Board of County Commissioners pursuant to state law today.

As will be reflected in the proposal, Scott and his team have cut another $6,333,819 from the previous year which reflects a total budget reduction over the past three fiscal years of $16,998,668.

This is the third consecutive year that the Sheriff’s Office budget has been reduced in an effort to help bring down the countywide budget deficits, Sheriff’s officials said. It is noteworthy that during this same period of time the crime rate for unincorporated Lee County has also fallen dramatically, authorities said.

The current early out incentive has resulted in 50 employees who will be leaving the agency. As a result, a restructuring and consolidation of responsibilities will result in three captains, eight lieutenants, and six sergeants positions that will not be filled along with other certified and civilian positions. Including the reductions from the early out incentive, staffing has been reduced by 105 positions over the last three years, Sheriff’s officials said.

Reductions this year have been especially challenging given the fact that the Sheriff’s Office will assume school resource officer responsibilities in the middle and high schools that are currently being covered by the Fort Myers Police Department and the Cape Coral Police Department. said Sheriff Mike Scott.

Consistent with the norms of public safety in any unit of government, the Lee Sheriff’s budget represents a significant portion of the County’s overall budget, he said As a result, the Sheriff’s budget is typically a matter of media and public interest at this time each year and given the continuing economic challenges we all face, this year will be no exception, Scott said.