The Rock Island County board was racing against the clock with only 13 days left to come up with a balanced budget.
"I've been here ever since '76 and I've never seen it this bad," said board member Don Jacobs.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014 the finance committee met to discuss the options; board members say there aren't many.
The county is more than $2 million in debt with no new revenue to bail it out. Some items up for discussion were cutting positions as people retire, or a five-percent cut across-the-board for each department.
For areas like the sheriff's office, that would mean a loss of $700,000.
"I have no idea where that would come from. Rock Island County Sheriff's Department is bare bones now," said Rock Island County Sheriff Gerry Bustos.
Sheriff Bustos said further cuts would undoubtedly hurt his deputies' ability to do their jobs.
"As we cut further into our budget than we are right now, those services are gonna be impacted; and I'm very apprehensive to go any deeper than I am now," said Sheriff Bustos.
Board members say the last thing they want is layoffs, but they may not have much choice.
"If not this year, next year. Next year will be worse, if anything," said Jacobs.
The board decided at Wednesday's meeting that they will meet with elected officials and departments to see if there are any savings they can make. The committee must have a budget ready for display by the next county board meeting on November 1, 2014.