All the officers of a South Carolina police department, including the chief, have resigned after officials of the financially struggling city denied them raises.

The Johnsonville Police Department's two officers resigned effective immediately following a June 30 city council meeting in which council members voted to freeze salaries instead of dissolving the agency, The Post and Courier reports. Chief Ron Douglas also tendered his resignation, which will be effective July 16.

Following their resignations, Douglas and the officers will join the Florence County Sheriff's Office. That means they'll be joining the agency that now will be providing law enforcement coverage for the city.

Douglas told The Post and Courier that he and the two officers will be earning $10,000 more with the sheriff's, and they also will receive a $5,000 bonus. Douglas told WBTW-TV that he tried 11 times to get $8,000 raises for his officers but had no success.

"It’s a little disappointing, but I kind of anticipated it, and like I said, that was in the 11th attempt for me to save the team here and the police department as we know it," he said. 

Sheriff T.J. Joye said his agency might continue covering Johnsonville permanently given the city's fiscal issues.

“They do not have the funding for the law enforcement side as of now,” Joye said.

Johnsonville is about $5.2 million in debt and has no reserve funds, according to The Post and Courier.