CLEVELAND COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) – A bitter budget battle in Cleveland County heated up on Tuesday when Cleveland County commissioners and Sheriff Chris Amason had a fiery exchange during the county budget meeting. Amason said he has missing funds from his budget, but commissioners said he has simply “mismanaged” his money. Amason requested to speak at Tuesday’s meeting. The first thing he wanted to clear up was rumors of his resignation. “Let me be clear, I have no intention of resigning from my position,” said Amason. Amason said he was short $4 million from his allotted $19.5 million 2024-2025 budget. "The continued and deliberate underfunding of the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office for the second consecutive fiscal year," said Amason. He claimed the money he was missing was cash reserves from a Public Safety Sales Tax fund. "They have drained me of those, and yet they're still counting them towards my budget," said Amason. Commissioners said the fund was meant to be shared between several public safety agencies across the county and most of the money from the fund that has been issued was already going to the sheriff’s office. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Payroll numbers reveal spending for Cleveland Co. Sheriff’s Office “He’s been operating on a $22-23 million budget and keeps saying that he can somehow get more money,” said Jim Reynolds, Cleveland County treasurer. “There’s a magic pile in the sky, the taxpayer. We have no more to give out. The budgets were done.” During the meeting, Amason proposed the idea of creating a county jail trust. "I think a trust authority will provide greater oversight,” said Amason. “There are more people seeing exactly what's going on. And we keep our employees and our inmates safe." However, Reynolds said jail trusts have not been successful for neighboring counties and the focus for the sheriff should be spending only what he has in the bank. "It's mismanagement at the highest level," said Reynolds. The sheriff recently cut 25 jobs and consolidated his office to make his budget. Last fiscal year, commissioners approved a $3 million bailout for the sheriff’s office. Reynolds said the amount of money given to Amason since he took office has skyrocketed to historic numbers. "It has been about a minimum of a 40 percent increase over the last four years," said Reynolds. The state is in the middle of an audit of the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office. The first part of the audit was released in June. The second half of the audit could be released soon.