SUNBURY -- Claiming the Northumberland County budget is $4.6 million in debt, Majority Commissioner Vinny Clausi said he's taking a close look at each department for wasteful spending. The county's 2008 budget amounts to $90 million.

Board chairman Frank Sawicki and Minority Commissioner Kurt Masser dispute Clausi's projected deficit, but agree that belt tightening is necessary.

A preliminary budget is scheduled to be released in early December, and Masser has already suggested that county positions may be cut. There are currently 912 employees on the county payroll, including 43 people hired in the last year.

One area that continues to be an aggravation for Clausi is the use of county-owned vehicles by sheriff deputies.

He found that five deputies had taken county patrol cars home, racking up 1,100 miles on the vehicles in a week, including First Assistant Deputy Randy Coe, who lives in Millersburg, Dauphin County.

"Taxpayers shouldn't pay for him to drive to and from work," Clausi said.

Reiner did not respond to a call for comment Friday.

In response to a citizen complaint about county employees using county cars for private use, the board voted Tuesday to revise the policy limiting the use of county vehicles to work or on-call hours and requiring employees to maintain a mileage log.

Clausi said that Reiner was asked to meet with the commissioners about the matter, but never did.

The sheriff did release a written statement to the media on Wednesday saying he and the deputies need to use patrol cars for safety reasons because they are on duty at all times.

"I feel that it is my duty to make use of any vehicle or equipment at our disposal, to best ensure that we are able to protect our staff or other law enforcement agencies and all of the citizens of this county effectively and efficiently," he said.

Clausi disputed the need and said county deputies have never been asked to assist police in Sunbury, Shamokin, Coal Township, Ralpho Township and Elysburg.

He also said there were only 34 calls for an on-call sheriff's deputy throughout the year so far, further decreasing the need for county cars to be used as much as they are.

"That's all taxpayer money," said Clausi.