A looming deadline forces the village of Vinton to face the possible consequences of budget cuts.

Thursday night Vinton Village Council will discuss a budget put forth by Councilwoman Juvencia Rios Ontiveros.

Ontiveros' budget proposes to slash village employee salaries in half, including the police chief's, and it would eliminate the entire budget for the police department.

But Police Chief Klaus Mansion said the budget cuts are just the surface of underlying issues.

He said this isn't the first time Ontiveros has tried to rid the village of the department.

Currently, the department operates on a minimal budget. The chief acquired almost all of the department's equipment through inter-local agreements with other law enforcement agencies.

But without an equipment budget, the department wouldn't have any resources to expand and grow. The chief believes that's so council members don't have to answer to their own run-ins with the law

"But the law isn't a department and it's definitely not a person that you can just say, 'We don't want this anymore, go away.' The law is here. And it's watching. and it will continue to be here," said Mansion.

Ontiveros' desire to get rid of the police department might have to do with previous warrants and the chief arresting Ontiveros on charges of assault, bodily injury and resisting arrest.

KFOX14 will be in the budget meeting and will bring you the details of that meeting tonight on KFOX14 news at Nine.

A budget must be decided on by the end of the month.