Georgia sheriffs, chafing at what they say is too much oversight over their budgets, are taking their county commissioners to court in an effort to loosen the purse strings, raising legal challenges that could change the dynamics of local government spending.
Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams was already mired in a yearslong war with his county’s commissioners over his budget when he said after a series of clashes —including, according to local news reports, his threat to have them arrested — that he would sue them for more of a say in his department’s finances.
It’s a threat Williams has apparently made several times, including as far back as 2021, and again in January when he asked for budget approval to hire an attorney so he could sue the same commission granting that permission,according to news reports.
Fulton commissioners clash over Sheriff Labat’s spending
In his suit, which was entered into court records on Thursday, he accused the commission of making specific budgetary decisions that interfered with his existing spending decisions, including ignoring his plans for how to pay for some jail inmates who had to be housed in another county because of overcrowding…