The state budget crunch has reached the Muskogee County Court Clerk’s Office with layoffs and a 7 percent cut in expenditures.

Court Clerk Paula Sexton doesn’t like the idea of having fewer employees to do the same or more work, but she realizes she probably is going to have to live with it.

“It just increases everyone’s workload,” Sexton said. “Is it to the point of breaking? No. Will I allow it to get to the point of breaking? No. It’s a difficult situation, but it’s a difficult situation 85 percent of (court clerks) are dealing with.”

The 7 percent budget reduction presents more problems than do the personnel issues, she said. They include eliminating the budget for a postage machine and cutting the budget for copy machine maintenance.

In the state’s 77 counties, the Oklahoma Supreme Court pays the wages for 821 deputies, according to a letter Sexton received. Another 306 are paid from county funds. The Supreme Court plans to cut the number of state-funded employees to 238.

While Sexton knows she’s going to have to live with the cutbacks, she worries about getting all the work done.

“I could afford to lose one person easily and be able to maintain a competent work environment,” Sexton said. “Losing two people would be a little stressful. Four people — you’re looking at not having the ability to have anyone ill, no one to be gone for very long, no one to say ‘I’m taking two week’s vacation.’

“The ability to cover that position competently for two weeks is difficult. Whoever is covering that desk better not have to get up and cover other desks at the same time, or you stand the chance of things being done incorrectly.”

Sexton has laid off two employees, she said. One already has found another job, the other likely will draw unemployment and then apply for Social Security.

A third employee had already resigned, and her slot had not been filled, she said.

She did not lay off a fourth employee but plans to ask the county to pick up the funding for that position, Sexton said.

She also has asked the Cherokee Nation for a trainee in an employment program. That worker would be paid through the tribe.

Sexton said Tulsa County and Oklahoma County court clerks did not have to cut state employees. However, the bulk of their employees already are county workers. In Tulsa County, there are 145 people in the Court Clerk’s Office — 15 state and 130 county employees. In Oklahoma County, there are eight state workers and 148 county employees.

Sexton said the cuts leave her office with no one to cover all the duties if there is someone on leave and a second person needs to take off at the same time.

Sexton often works one of the desks when someone is out, she said.