CHRISTIANSBURG -- When the General Assembly convenes today, Montgomery County officials hope to be heard on their issues with proposed state budget cuts.

Virginia faces a revenue shortfall of at least $2.9 billion, prompting Gov. Tim Kaine to propose deep spending cuts and layoffs to help balance the budget that expires June 30, 2010.

According to Kaine's budget plan, constitutional officer funding will incur across-the-board reductions of 7 percent for sheriffs' offices and 10 percent for circuit court clerks' offices. These cuts do not apply to funding the salaries of elected constitutional officers.

At Monday's board of supervisors meeting, Montgomery County Sheriff Tommy Whitt and Circuit Court Clerk Erica Williams urged the board to take up these issues with the state because the proposed cuts would be devastating to their already limited resources.

Williams has 10 people working in her department.

"If we take a 10 percent cut, that's going to knock me down to six people," Williams said.

In addition to being committed to serving residents, Williams' staff already does their best to work within a tight budget, she said, by recycling and reusing "even the smallest items" to save money, and will continue to do so. This year, Williams said, she has also written and received three grants for items such as security cameras for the courthouse.

Williams urged the board to do anything in their power to prevent the 10 percent cut from having such an effect on her department.

"I hope you will remember my office during this budget time," she said.

Whitt is also concerned about the effect a 7 percent cut would have on his department.

"It's a significant amount, and it will significantly reduce employees if it can't be offset," Whitt said.

He said Kaine's plan could potentially eliminate 14 positions within the sheriff's office.

With the Western Virginia Regional Jail set to open March 9, Whitt said he may be able to keep some staff employed by transferring them should the budget cuts remain in place. Whitt said he understands that the state is going through difficult times, but making cuts in sheriffs' offices could be detrimental to the localities they serve.

"When looking at public safety, that's a necessity that has to be there in regards to providing the security and protection," for a city or county, he said.

He said that a 7 percent cut would noticeably affect his department's ability to run and operate a jail, monitor streets and respond to 911 calls.

Whitt said he has and will continue to try other avenues, including potential transfers to the new jail and lobbying through the General Assembly to reduce the percentage.

He also said his department is already understaffed. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office has 52 positions, which means a 1-to-1,500 officer-to-resident ratio, he said. Based on the population, the county should have 59 officers, Whitt said.

He said before Kaine's reduction plan, Montgomery County was due to pick up two more officers in March, which would still leave the department short-staffed.

Though the reduction plan would leave his department in dire straits, Whitt is confident that a solution can be found.

"I'm looking very optimistically to be able to minimize the impact on the office and to provide law enforcement to the citizens of the county, because they certainly deserve it," he said.