BATON ROUGE - East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux says the cost of providing deputies to guard the 19th Judicial District Courthouse is straining his budget.

A spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office says the cost of providing one deputy per courtroom at the courthouse is reimbursed by the city-parish at a cost of $152,184 annually.

But The Advocate reports that Gautreaux said in a recent letter to the attorney general that the judges have called for deputies to provide additional security. Gautreaux said neither the city-parish, nor the judges, provide additional compensation for the added security, which adds more than $2 million in costs.

East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden says the city-parish's current reimbursement covers what is required by law. Holden says the sheriff should use his own money.