POWER COUNTY, Idaho -- A local county is hurting from the effects of a rough economy. By the end of the week, the Power County Sheriff's Office will have three and a half fewer employees. The sheriff announced this week his department lost $200,000 in funding.

For the Power County Sheriff’s Office, it means they're going to have to make due with what they have. As of Thursday night, they had 27 people. That includes jail staff, patrol deputies and dispatchers. But by end of Friday, three and a half positions will be eliminated, meaning a reduction in force.

Cpl. Gary Krell is one of five patrol deputies working for the Power County Sheriff’s Office. After Friday, he'll be the only deputy working his shift for 1,410 square miles.

"It hurts a little bit because it makes my work a lot harder. If I’m doing something at one end of the county and we don't have that cover shift, then that means I have to thin out my work at one call and then go take care of another call,” said Cpl. Krell.

Over the past several weeks, Power County commissioners worked to pass a reduction in force. Commissioner Vicki Meadows said it's something they needed to do.

"All of the departments and all of the offices in the county knew that we were going to have to make some reductions this year. In fact we started the process last year,” said Meadows.

The Power County Sheriff’s Office will be losing a dispatcher, patrol deputy, K-9 dog, a detention officer and a half-time jail tech. Sheriff Jim Jeffries says losing positions in a small rural county sheriff's office leaves its mark.

"Pull together and cross train as much as possible and fill in for each other so that we can do the best we can to maintain public safety,” said Jeffries.

In Power County there are two funds, general and justice. Meadows said the cuts came from the justice side because that is where a majority of the money is spent.

"Why cut from the Sheriff's Office instead of the general fund?” said reporter Genevieve Judge. “Because we can't mix those funds. The general fund pays for like the clerk's office and the treasures office and the assessor’s office and they are in the general fund and that isn't mixed with justice fund money. Those people have been holding the line for the last three years and in fact we've used excess money from them to subsidize the justice fund,” said Meadows.

"It might mean that we're going to have to stretch and struggle sometimes to get the job done, but we will get it done,” said Jeffries.

For deputies like Krell, who are working on the street, it means working harder with less.

"Get back to work and everybody get their case loads solved and their cases looked at. So it's just a healing process,” said Krell.

Jeffries said that his department will still have 24-hour coverage for the public, despite being short staffed. He wanted to remind local people that the response time might be a little longer now depending on the nature of the call.

The Power County commissioners will be holding a public hearing on their 2011 budget on Aug. 23 at 5 p.m. It will be held in the commissioner’s chambers at the Power County courthouse. The public is encouraged to attend.