VIDALIA, La. — Asking workers of the district attorney, registrar of voters and judges’ offices and criminal court to cut their salaries 10 percent, shutting down some public works divisions in the winter months and dipping into the jury’s beginning balance from last year — those are some things the Concordia Parish Police Jury may have to do this year to make up a tax deficit.

A spokesperson for the bankrupt Fruit of the Loom recently said the company, the parish’s biggest manufacturer, doesn’t know when or if it will pay the parish $564,000 in taxes.

On Monday, the jury’s Finance Committee recommended the jury cut expenses in such areas as prisoner care, drainage and maintenance by $88,150 to offset the possible loss. The jury is expected to act on the recommendations Feb. 28.

&uot;But these are just recommendations. They must be approved by the whole jury to take effect,&uot;&160;said Finance Chairman Randy Temple. &uot;And we’re confident we’ll get these taxes – it’s just a matter of when,&uot;&160;added jury President Charlie Blaney.

The committee also recommended Monday that, if the jury does not receive the taxes by late summer or early fall, salaries of jurors and police jury employees be cut 10 percent, saving an extra $88,000. The cuts would affect about 26 of the jury’s 50 employees.

Cutting employees’ salaries, if it comes to that, &uot;is going to be a hard call,&uot;&160;Blaney said. &uot;I’d be for cutting police jurors’ salaries before we cut the other (salaries).&uot;

Although under state law police jurors cannot actually vote to reduce their salaries after those salaries are set for the year, jurors could donate 10 percent of their salaries back to the jury’s coffers, Temple said. No juror could be forced to donate any of his salary, but &uot;I&160;think every juror understands the situation we’re in,&uot;&160;he said.

If approved, Monday’s recommendations would save $176,150. And the jury isn’t counting the $240,941 in taxes Fruit of the Loom owes the jury to help fund the parish’s libraries and health unit. Those departments would have to figure out on their own how to deal with the loss of funds, Temple said. &uot;We’re primarily concerned with the areas that directly affect the police jury, like drainage and maintenance,&uot;&160;he said.

But even with the cuts recommended Monday, and even excluding taxes that would go to the libraries and health unit, the jury would still be left with $146,909 less than it anticipated when this year’s budget was set in December.

That is where the jury has to get creative.

It was already recommended Monday that department heads be told to cut expenses wherever possible. And jurors will need to prioritize and cut wherever possible the materials, such as gravel, they order for their areas, Blaney said.

And if Fruit of the Loom still hasn’t paid its taxes by late summer or early fall, the jury may have to take further steps to cut expenses. Possibilities discussed so far are: