(WKTV) - Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr.'s nearly $350 million dollar 2009 budget proposal calls for historic changes to the Oneida County Sheriff's Department.

The challenge: getting the sheriff to come on board. Sheriff Dan Middaugh isn't in any hurry to chop off the department's law enforcement arm or relinquish most of its financial authority.

In his budget, Picente requests $50,000 for a policy and procedure audit of the sheriff's department. A draft audit by the State Comptroller's Office recently revealed a handful of employees had received tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized overtime. Middaugh says he welcomes the scrutiny.

It's the part of the budget proposal that moves the department's payroll and purchasing authority over to the county that Middaugh has difficulty embracing.

"And if they're going to do the work down there then send it all the way up here for me to review and sign and everything else.. certainly it is not cost efficient," says Middaugh.

County Executive Picente also wants to scale down the department's functions to focus on corrections, courts and other civil matters, leaving road patrol to a county police force.

"And if the road patrol becomes a police force and others join, it's not just 'we're looking to restructure,' we're asking others, you know, come along and your costs could be reduced. I think there's clearly a way to provide that service at a more cost-effective way to all the taxpayers," says Picente.

Middaugh can't see the value in chopping off the department's law enforcement arm.

"We have all the tools, we have our criminal investigation unit, we have our i.d. unit; we have everything right here and to have that sunset or go away I don't believe would be in the best interest of taxpayers in this county," says Middaugh.

Picente acknowledges any restructuring or streamlining of public safety in the county would have to be handled delicately. Whitestown
Supervisor Chuck Gibbs says that five police agencies currently have jurisdiction within the town of Whitestown.

Gibbs says he'd consider consolidating the police force if the price and quality of coverage were right, but acknowledges the taxpayers might be a tougher sell.

"You start getting that 'I know the person next door, he's my village cop or he's my town cop or he's my village firefighter.' You know, people don't like change when it comes like that but I think if it's presented in the right way people will see there could be even a better benefit somewhere down the road," says Gibbs.