Businesses in Crawford County may have to change the way they do business come the new year. The Crawford County Attorney's Office announces they will no longer prosecute bad checks. Crawford County Attorney Michael Gayoso says budget cuts are forcing him to close the Worthless Check Department. Gayoso mailed a letter to 85 businesses in the county to let them know those services would no longer be available.

The county commission cut two percent from every department's budget this year. While that's only $8,700 from Gayoso's office, he says an additional $30,000 he requested from the general fund was not allocated to him, plus he lost a $20,000 grant. He says the only place he could cut back is services.

"We're not going to cut anything we prosecute regarding public safety," said Gayoso. "So ultimately the only choice we were given is to eliminate prosecution of worthless checks."

Commissioner Linda Grilz says she is disappointed this service will be cut because the cost of prosecuting bad checks will now fall back on the business owner. She says it is ultimately the department head's decision. Both sides say they hope they can find a way to keep the department open. A meeting is set for Tuesday to discuss the issue.