King County Sheriff Sue Rahr and Metropolitan King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert will appear at a public meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 31 at Rosa Parks Elementary School, 2845 NE Cedar Park Crescent, Redmond Ridge.

They will discuss the ramifications of budget cuts to the Sheriff’s Office in 2008 and 2009.

So far in 2008, mandated budget cuts have resulted in the loss of 21 positions in the Sheriff’s Office, both commissioned and non-commissioned personnel.

King County Executive Ron Sims has said additional cuts will be needed in 2009, which could lead to another reduction of as many as 70 employees of the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office provides law enforcement for citizens living in unincorporated King County, who will face the brunt of the reductions through loss of services.

If approved, the budget reductions will mean that the Sheriff’s Office will not be able to investigate certain crimes.

At this meeting, Sheriff Rahr and Councilmember Lambert will provide an overview of the situation and discuss options to address these issues and the difficult decisions that need to be made.

A Redmond resident, Councilmember Lambert represents northeast King County and chairs the Law, Justice and Human Services Committee.

If you have any questions regarding the meeting, please contact Councilmember Lambert at 206-296-1003, or Major Wills at 206-205-7654, or Elisa Elliott at 206-205-7920 or elisa.elliott@kingcounty.gov