GALVESTON, Ind. -- A small Central Indiana community is awash in red ink – and public safety is paying the price.
The Galveston Town Board has decided to eliminate one full-time law enforcement position and a number of reserves because of a $430,000 budget deficit.
That means Town Marshal Shawn Durham is just weeks away from losing his only two full-time paid police officers.
"We don't live in a violent community," he said. "I don't come to work every day worried that's going to happen. But the potential is there. I have to worry about that. The risk is always there in law enforcement."
Galveston officials say the previous town clerk mismanaged the Galveston budget into a nearly half-million dollar hole. Officials requested a budget of $861,000. The state would only approve $588,000 – leaving a deficit for next year of $273,000.
Galveston Town President John Hart says all of the red ink has made it difficult to see the town's future.
"It's in dire straits," Hart said. "I mean, when you're not sure how we're going to survive the rest of the year. Just being honest about it."
Galveston doesn't even have the money to put its eight unpaid reserve officers on the street. The town will give up no less than one hundred additional hours of patrol time per month.
"I don't think we need 12 or 15 cops in the town of Galveston," said resident Jennifer Creason. "But I don't think just one man is enough either."
That one man will be Durham, who will only be paid for a 40-hour patrol week. And with increased police response times, he's not only worried about the safety of Galveston, but his own as well.
"Not having those officers close that reside in our community to have dispatched en route to me is obviously some concern," he said.
Hart said it will likely take the next three-to-four years to overcome the budget shortfall.
