Salaries and benefits for four members of the Morgan County Drug Task Force are being picked up as part of the Sheriff’s Office budget due to the loss of grant funding through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

The Morgan County Commission voted to pick up the slack by amending the Sheriff’s Office budget in the amount of $217,207.45 at its regular meeting on Nov. 27.

Sheriff Ana Franklin recommended the budget amendment after ADECA funding dropped to $90,000, effective Oct. 1, 2012, through Sept. 30, 2013. She said the county

received as much as $300,000 to fund the agents’ salaries in previous years.

“Adding their salaries to the sheriff’s office payroll budget will ensure that we can keep up with the high demand and regular operations of the Drug Task Force,” she wrote in her request. “This is an area that our office can’t afford to lose or go without as we have an epidemic of methamphetamine labs in Morgan County.

Franklin said the $90,000 state grant would be used to meet fuel and overtime costs and pay for new raid gear.