Several jobs are being cut in Trempealeau County to make up for a nearly $900,000 deficit.

Tuesday night, county board members cut the equivalent of seven and a half full-time jobs. The budget passed on an 11 to 5 vote.

The switchboard operator, county planner and people in the extension and clerk of courts office will lose jobs. The sheriff and highway departments will have to cut about $250,000 from their budgets.

The county clerk says it’s the toughest budget he's seen in his 21 years there. The chair of the finance committee says it was difficult to cut jobs, because they've worked with the people for years.

"In talking to 2 or 3 of them, they understand the plight that we have here as well asl every other county in the sate with the loss of revenues and it becomes necessary to make some hard decisions," says Dick Miller, a county board member.

The cuts may not be over. County leaders tell us there is still a proposal to merge the health department with others to save money.

Paul Syverson, the County Clerk, says the county did manage to drop the mill rate by $0.08 per $1,000.