The Belmont County auditor is calling for officials to oust the sheriff after news that about 80 Sheriff's Office employees may not get a paycheck because of a cash shortage.

County Auditor Joseph Pappano said Wednesday there is not enough money to pay Sheriff's Office employees starting next week. Pappano said the department's payroll funds are about $30,000 short.

"Get (Sheriff Fred Thompson) removed or at least start the action to get him removed if that is what you want to do," Pappano told commissioners at a heated meeting Wednesday. "(It) takes a little guts to do that though."

The auditor said, as it stands, there will be no more money to pay deputies or employees for the remainder of the year. Further, he said there is no plan in place to come up with the money.

Thompson refuted the auditor's claims and called for Pappano's retirement.

According to letters obtained by NEWS9, commissioners have warned Thompson to watch spending for years. Even so, the sheriff's office has accrued more than 3,200 hours of overtime since the start of the year, costing the county more than $100,000 over the past six months.

Thompson told NEWS9 he hasn't made any cuts because the attorneys who were hired by the county commissioners have advised him to hold off. Thompson said they advised him his budget should be larger than $2.2 million and told him not to make cuts because they were still in talks with the union.

---

WEB EXTRA: Read Commissioners' Letters To Sheriff Outlining The Decline Of Monies

---

The Sheriff's Office has had numerous budget problems, and commissioners this year cut the sheriff's budget by 35 percent, or about $1 million.

"(The sheriff) was cut significantly. If he would have stepped up to the plate in the past we wouldn't be faced with this today," said County Commissioner Chuck Probst. "We knew we were going to be in this position at this point in time with the sheriff's department."

The sheriff defended his decisions and said he made all the budget cuts he could.

In March, Thompson eliminated the department's K-9 program to save money. Around that same time, the sheriff threatened to lay of 68 deputies, but brought that number down to 10 after he said he and the commissioners went through the budget with a "fine-toothed comb."

To date, only two people have been laid off: Chief Deputy Joseph Hummel and a part-time deputy.

Thompson said he is in negotiations to determine how many deputies will be laid off in the near future. He added that public safety is not at risk and said he has a very dedicated group of employees who are determined and committed to keeping the county safe.

But commissioners said the cash shortage is unacceptable.

"It's very unfair to the deputies that work for the sheriff," Probst said.

He said the problem is the result of Thompson's "actions, or more importantly, his inactions as an elected official by the taxpayers of this county."

Stay with NEWS9 and WTOV9.com for continuing coverage.