As Effingham County commissioners look for ways to pare a $30 million budget, county department heads pleaded their cases for more help.

Chief Appraiser Janis Bevill said her office has lost two people in the last two weeks, and both employees left for better-paying jobs. It’s also difficult to replace those who leave, she said.

“We’ve got to have somebody pretty proficient in math, and you’d be surprised at the number of people who aren’t,” she said.

Bevill also asked the commissioners to look at the pay for those in her office.

“It’s going to be hard to keep people to do what we ask them to do,” she said.

Bevill said she tries to do as much training in-house as she can, but the training can take time.

Tax Commissioner Lisa Wright requested that the commissioners temporarily restructure her hierarchy, having two assistants split the duties of her chief deputy while the chief deputy is out. She also asked for the reinstatement of a part-time post that was taken last year.

“She hasn’t had a full complement of employees for a while,” County Administrator Ed Williams said.

Wright said that in the last year, her office has lost three people.

“Even before the budget process started, we needed bodies in there,” Williams said. “We need permanent people in there.”

Effingham County Prison Warden Ronald Speirs said he needs help, too.

“It’s hard to find someone who wants to work at the prison,” he said.