The King County Council voted on a 7-2 split vote to approve the 2011 budget with council members Reagan Dunn and Pete von Reichbauer voting no.

According to a release from Dunn’s office, the councilman dissented because of the budget cuts to the sheriff’s office and the prosecutor’s office.

“The 300,000 residents of King County will now have to live with 28 fewer sheriff deputies than last year,” Dunn said. “I cannot vote for a budget that does not first protect public safety before funding non-mandatory programs.”

The $5 billion 2011 budget included closing a $60 million deficit.

The sheriff’s office cut 28 deputies and the prosecutor’s office lost 16 attorneys.

A release Councilwoman Julia Patterson said, “King County government made the difficult choices necessary to balance our budget. We went through this budget line-by-line to cut spending in the most responsible way possible, just as many individuals and families everywhere are doing with their own household budgets. Given the fiscal challenges we are facing, this budget does all it can to protect public safety, maintain the quality of life in our communities, and protect our most vulnerable residents.”