The Fisher County Commissioners Court entered into its first of several budget workshops on Monday, the first of many that will take place over the next few months in preparation for the upcoming fiscal year.
The court reviewed the preliminary tax valuations for the upcoming year, showing tax revenue to be comparable to what the county received last year, although projections show the possibility of a slight increase of roughly $40,000. Certified values are not typically released until sometime late next month.
While there were some increases to the proposed budget in longevity pay as well as additions requested by various county departments, the main focus of Monday's discussions regarding the Fisher County Sheriff's Department. Sheriff Randy Ford was on hand to explain some of the requested increases for both employees and jail operations.
The court recently appointed Ford to the sheriff's position on the heels of former Fisher County Sheriff Alan Arnwine’s resignation early last month. Ford explained that increases to salaries had come in the wake of his appointment and Arnwine's sudden departure.
When coming aboard, the concern was that with the chief deputy also resigning and the possibility of also losing a jail administrator, there were no first-line supervisors. Ford’s solution to this issue was to create sergeant positions, employees that would fall between deputies and chief deputies and whose pay would be reflective of the position.
“There will be a sergeant assigned to patrol, in the jail, and in dispatch,” explained Ford. “Three people have already been appointed to those positions.”
Ford said there was some money remaining in the budget for part-time deputy pay, although some of those funds were used throughout the year to compensate the chief deputy’s overtime pay. The remaining funds, however, the sheriff requested to be reallocated for compensating those in sergeant positions
The Fisher County Auditor Becky Mauldin informed the sheriff that while it may look as though funds remain, at the end of the year once line item transfers are all completed, that money may be absorbed elsewhere and the department's budget.
Ford said he understood this to be a possibility, nonetheless, the hourly wage increase on the deputy side was roughly $0.70 per hour and only $0.50 per hour on the jail side and would go a long way to improving the overall command structure of his department.
The county also planned last year to include the purchase of two new department vehicles in this year's budget. Ford explained that the commissioners had asked for a price comparison between makes of vehicles, of which, the purchase price of the Chevrolet is by far the most cost-effective for the county.
The sheriff also touched on a few minor revisions to line items such as vehicle maintenance and fuel expenditures, as new vehicles require less maintenance and last year's fuel cost exceeded the budgeted amount. Mauldin also informed the sheriff that per the IT consultant’s recommendation, the department should also look at budgeting for new equipment for vehicles.
Ford said he was aware that much of the equipment currently used was approaching the end of its lifecycle, and with new legislation being passed, updating equipment was going to be part of both short-term and long-term projects. The sheriff said he was hopeful the department would be successful in grant applications that could possibly offset some of these costs.
The sheriff was also candid with his request for an additional deputy, answering the obvious question as to why the department needs a new deputy. With current operations, an officer takes a call and is assigned the case.
“Depending on the time available, it may be two or three days before there is a follow-up,” said Ford. “That’s unsatisfactory.”
He explained that if the court granted the additional personnel, he would dedicate the new deputy to performing follow-up investigations as a priority. In this way, the citizens of Fisher County could receive a level of service Ford says they deserve.
Ford also discussed budgeting for the Fisher County Law Enforcement Center. While not officially closed, the county jail has been depopulated since March 2020, and Fisher County inmates have been transferred and housed in neighboring Scurry County.
The numerous plumbing issues caused by freezing temperatures that accompanied the severe winter storm that devastated the state in February have been completed. The jail is still awaiting the installation of new cameras, which have been delayed due to electronic component shortages.
The sheriff assured the court that as soon as the jail becomes operational, he would be looking to again house inmates locally. Ford said it would take at least 90 days to work out the anticipated as well as unexpected issues they will face upon reopening, but once operations level out, he would be reaching out to bring in outside inmates in the efforts to offset costs.
Fisher County Judge Ken Holt informed the court he returned from meeting with Gov. Abbott last week in Del Rio, where he learned the state has proposed a $1 billion project that would allow the jail commission to reimburse the county for housing individuals who are arrested while crossing the border. Holt said the key to those possible reimbursements would be proper documentation.
Fisher County Clerk Pat Thompson also explained a request for $15,000 to add an employee to her department. This would be a full-time employee to assist with the election process, the salary for which would be covered by designated funds already assessable to the clerk's office except for the requested amount.
“I know everyone thinks you just walk in and vote, but that's not exactly what happens,” said Thompson, especially regarding the behind-the-scenes operations that require hours of preparation.
When not directly working on the election process or the preparation, the employee would be designated to scanning documents into a digital format, which is required by law.
Thompson explained that her office currently contracts with the surrounding entities, which ultimately saves the county thousands of dollars. When the election cycles roll around, the cost of election judges and for instance, are divided between the County and contracted entities such as school districts and local municipalities.
She reminded the court that in the numerous years she has served as clerk and election facilitator, the county has never had a complaint from either a citizen or candidate nor has it election process fallen under the scrutiny of a state inspection. However, as the process has become more challenging in recent years, and may very well become more complex pending the outcome of the current legislative session, Thompson said she would undoubtedly be requiring additional assistance.
The court was also presented with minor budget changes from the justice of the peace and county extension agent, but other than reviewing the request presented by those in attendance engaged in little discussion during Monday's meeting.
Before adjourning, Judge Holt asked the court to consider that while the county stands to receive roughly $725,000 in revenue from wind farms, that revenue is not a tax base. He urged officials to remember that although the money provides an opportunity, it will only be received for nine more years, and decisions made regarding the spending should to be sustainable moving into the future.