CLEVELAND COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) – The Cleveland County Treasurer tells News 4 that 24 jobs have been cut and six employees have been reassigned after the Sheriff's Office announced layoffs Friday. Cleveland County Sheriff Chris Amason has not personally responded to requests for an interview, but a press release on Friday noted the layoffs were due to budget constraints. It noted the layoffs would primarily affect administrative staff, with some impact on deputies, but did not provide clarification on the number of employees who would be let go at the time. The press release does note that the Sheriff's Office will be selling surplus assets, reviewing contracts and utilizing countywide services like IT and HR. The release also says patrol will focus on unincorporated areas and cross-training will be introduced to improve efficiency. "These decisions were not made lightly, but we remain committed to delivering the best possible law enforcement services," said Amason in the release. Cleveland County Treasurer Jim Reynolds told News 4 in an interview Monday he learned 24 employees would be let go. He said he was disappointed to hear the news, and emphasized how important it is that Amason maintains his budget. "It was a significant failure last year," said Reynolds. "I am curious of why it took him three months into the fiscal year to make this decision." Reynolds says he believes that if Amason had made the decision to cut positions in the first part of July, more jobs could have been saved. Amason's spending has been at the center of tension between county leaders for months. In June, county commissioners voted to bail the Sheriff's Office out with emergency funding, accusing Amason of overspending. "To say that I have gone through my budget and I'm out of money is irresponsible," Amason told News 4 in an April interview regarding issues his office had with employee payroll. Amason emphasized at the time that specific issue boiled down to a communication error. "There were countless red flags," said Reynolds. "If he had just looked and not followed blindly and I don't want to be harsh on him, but if he had looked...he was told by countless people through different means and verification that their numbers were wrong. And if he had ever stopped to take a breath and listen, I think a lot of this could have been avoided." County leaders say his budget for the 2025 Fiscal Year, which started in July, received an 8.1% increase. That's on top of an upcoming $300,000 grant Attorney General Gentner Drummond's office says Amason's office will be receiving to strengthen its operations. "This $300,000 would be almost another 2% to his budget, you know, cumulatively; and so there was no restrictions," said Reynolds. "He could use that money any way that he wanted; and we had always said once he got his initial budget this year, that if additional revenue came in it was his to spend." Regardless, Reynolds says Cleveland County residents deserve to hear an explanation from Amason, including answers to the media's questions. "I want to see him get over there and do the job he was hired to do," said Reynolds. "We shouldn't have to be here telling you whether we're doing a great job or defending what we're doing." News 4 also spoke with former Cleveland County Sheriff's Office employee Julie Tipton, who lost to Amason in the June primary, only receiving 33% of the vote. "It's heartbreaking to know that this was preventable, that we could have done something about it," said Tipton. Tipton says the consensus she's been hearing from voters who didn't want to re-elect Amason is that the layoffs are linked to why they didn't want him to keep the job, while supporters of Amason she's heard from are shocked. She says transparency is key. "That's part of being an elected official, is being transparent and letting the people know what you're utilizing their taxpayer dollars on," said Tipton. "We are the taxpayers. So it's important to us to know what our money is being spent on. Tipton says she's also been in contact with employees who survived the layoffs and say morale has taken a hit. "The morale is at an all time low," said Tipton. "You know, people don't know if they're going to have a job tomorrow or not. They don't know if more layoffs are coming, and so that's a very stressful time."