"Sheriff Fitzgerald has never supported ... this program, working very hard to dismantle and restrict the program," he wrote.
Dorsey worked in the 2006 political campaign of former Sheriff Chuck Cave, whom Fitzgerald replaced, but Dorsey said he didn't see the program's demise as political payback, since he resigned before Fitzgerald took office.
After the meeting, District Court Chief Judge Neil Axel said he respects the program, though he rarely uses it himself.
If it stops operating, Axel said, judges will likely make the defendants responsible for finding a place to volunteer, and then provide proof to a probation agent that they did the work.
Two other judges who have used alternative sentencing mourned its loss.
District Judge Sue-Ellen Hantman said she used the program frequently when she handled traffic cases, and would be "extremely disappointed" to see it shut down.
"I felt people needed to learn something. Paying a fine and walking out of the courtroom doesn't teach you very much," she said. Besides, some people can't afford a fine, so the community service was an alternative to jail time. Now, she just imposes the fines.
She said the cut would also kill another program administered by the same workers that requires offending drivers to see the personal medical consequences of speeding and drunken driving at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.
Circuit Judge Louis A. Becker said he also used the sentencing program frequently when he was a District Court judge.
"It's been a great program," he said. In a wealthy county, making youthful drivers do some work instead of their parents paying a fine made more of an impression, he said.
Council members had questions about the move when they interviewed Fitzgerald and other county law enforcement officials at a Tuesday budget work session.
"I'm concerned about how you are going to manage all of our youth." said Chairwoman Mary Kay Sigaty, a west Columbia Democrat.
"I don't understand why we're getting rid of this program." She said the move is not just a cost-cutting decision.
"This is a significant policy shift," she said.
Courtney Watson, an Ellicott City Democrat, said she'd like to know more about the program.
"I just don't think we have enough information," she said. Fitzgerald promised to supply some.
Jen Terrasa, a North Laurel-Savage Democrat, seemed dismayed as members later asked police chief William McMahon about it.
"From my perspective, that type of program is really important, because it gets the family involved," she said.
Fulton Republican Greg Fox saw it more Fitzgerald's way, though he too wants more information.
"I appreciate the effort to look at something to reduce costs," he said.
Council members scheduled a second discussion about the program Friday afternoon to gather information from more sources about how it works. The council has no authority to add money to restore the program, unless members negotiate an agreement with the county executive.
