[{"_1":2,"_109":-5,"_110":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6144537,"mediaKeyId","5533953-159c6a586bed1c1c16b4d153af58cbeb","parentId",5533953,"title","Court debates creating an elections administrator office; public and officials raise governance, timing and staffing concerns","audioSeconds",619,"startMs",3611000,"endMs",4230000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5533953-159c6a586bed1c1c16b4d153af58cbeb&start=3611&end=4230","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5533953-159c6a586bed1c1c16b4d153af58cbeb/thumbnail_3611000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6144537/Kerr-County/Texas/Court-debates-creating-an-elections-administrator-office-public-and-officials-raise-governance-timing-and-staffing-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6144537-f055d4de562aa286a72c7cf623faaa37/orig.mp4?Expires=1771042779&Signature=nO8u4D1Y78Re9Hy4265c1w7cLY7TtkCaIo6ZGAsCt6QIXRZq5jCGyIuea0-gNEt3jqFmQmX1QKiUfpJvgvgJ-VkhKVu2xdFmRahHEBWl1gKBSQMQl0vobD-8Mhtzl-a6sv4IEKIDsgYEYeLC8VXp~Rak8RrIi6RI~ahhVyUEp58H7BhzYEqiGoGJd5T9gykcSHAe4r4qgseA-vxc~1QxlR~2OGgjDjVovQvBinoZV5pgMoaoGFAqs5hySL7MJiuEtZwsJ7iniGLGUsDyii6oSSWZOWbLCmKBaiqVw7mPEtk-YrnbVU~AUm9--JanO~kUpNz-xR~DCpfFXodwJYb9Iw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kerr County, Texas","date","2025-08-06T02:09:43.047Z","article","KERR COUNTY, Texas — Commissioners debated whether to create a stand‑alone elections administrator and department that would take over voter registration duties now handled in part by the tax assessor‑collector.

County staff said the proposal would shift voter registration work into a new elections department led by an elections administrator and supported by clerks. The proposed administrator would be an appointed position and the department would report to a board made up of the tax assessor‑collector, the county clerk, the county judge, and the county Republican and Democratic party chairs, according to a staff description presented in the meeting.

Public commenters and some commissioners questioned whether this is the right year to create a new department and whether the county should proceed before the county clerk’s March election. Helen Hurd, county chair for the Kerr County Republican Party, told the court: “The state election code mandates that the county clerk is responsible for elections in all Texas counties,” and warned creating an appointed administrator now would be “premature.” A resident and ballot‑access volunteer said the county’s recent presidential election required quick responses to secretary‑of‑state guidance and asked who would be accountable under a new structure.

County staff and the county clerk said current election employees would be transferred into the new department if the position is created; the clerk’s office asked that current positions be protected. The county tax office and the county clerk said the clerk’s office currently cross‑trains staff and that moving registration positions into a new department would create personnel gaps the clerk’s office would need to fill or reorganize.

Discussion vs. decision: the court treated the item as discussion only during the budget workshop and confirmed that action would be required later in the budget or an implementing agenda item; commissioners said they could instruct the auditor to include or exclude the new department in the proposed budget, but no instruction was adopted at this meeting.

Why it matters: Creating a separate elections department changes responsibilities for voter registration, creates a new department head and raises questions about appointment vs. election, local control and short‑term staffing impacts during a budget year with multiple other demands.

What to watch next: Commissioners can instruct the auditor whether to include a new elections department in the proposed budget; if included, the court will later need to adopt the change formally and decide the governance structure and staffing transfers.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Kerr County Commissioners' Court Agenda, August 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","KERR COUNTY, Texas — Commissioners debated creating a separate elections administrator and department to take voter‑registration duties out of the tax office, but several speakers questioned the timing and accountability of the proposal.","taxTitle","taxId",54243,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6144542,"FEMA estimate reduces Cape Loop bridge rebuild cost; court may cut contingency from proposed budget",175,5240000,5415000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5533953-159c6a586bed1c1c16b4d153af58cbeb&start=5240&end=5415","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5533953-159c6a586bed1c1c16b4d153af58cbeb/thumbnail_5240000.jpg","/articles/6144542/Kerr-County/Texas/FEMA-estimate-reduces-Cape-Loop-bridge-rebuild-cost-court-may-cut-contingency-from-proposed-budget","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6144542-48eba26180eb19b0f99549f59a71228f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771042779&Signature=oDVbzxgnsyINfUX3ahWR0jq61XlkL1wP-aqnx7LQF4X7aSPXOwggad~t4PnqdVlYhBA-jB9GVVViMSc2kKyEge5MRcleqnwJGM4uH1KR5mlDCurj0zha5d6v6HZrRF8xU77ecEBrEgtn2CL94~Nr~px4x3mOlGyDD1Hk1PBmrOH-SEphP150go~9b3Hx~yNd0yL7VnaCyyHYSqIcylooWfx6fyfJySIwuagxPX1rkZK06~1E741Zgx5odWpjM3MtC5SBXnYE9-a17lPw6aGk-phhDwnMOMfLQxFeSB-lyxJZ3MSVvJQ7ixVKux9zta~xk1vRqTq~LwEwUtnXFgtswQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","KERR COUNTY, Texas — County leaders told the commissioners court that engineers and FEMA produced estimates for repairs to the Cape Loop (Cadelloupe/Kegeloop) bridge and a temporary crossing that together are far smaller than earlier worst‑case rebuild numbers, and that the change meaningfully reduces the amount the court had reserved for road and bridge contingency in the proposed budget.

An estimate FEMA produced for repairing the damaged span was presented as $1,170,206.38, and county staff said an additional temporary bridge project — placed at the Rio Vista low‑water crossing to maintain in/out access during construction — was estimated at around $500,000. The judge said the earlier $6.5 million figure for a full rebuild would be removed and replaced by the smaller figures, producing a reduction of roughly $4–5 million in the line the court had set aside for road and bridge contingency.

County staff described the $10,056,057 number currently visible in the proposed budget as a combined entry: approximately $10,000,000 in contingency to meet the FEMA 75/25 matching requirement and $56,057 of ARPA interest / ARPA‑linked projects. Staff said the revised engineering/FEMA estimate will reduce the FEMA‑match contingency the county had planned to keep in the proposed budget.

The court’s auditor and county staff cautioned that reducing fund-balance reserves has tradeoffs. Commissioners were reminded that best practice is to preserve roughly 25% of the general‑fund balance to cover cash‑flow gaps and to maintain creditworthiness; staff said the current plan would bring the estimated year‑end fund balance close to 24% after proposed changes and before other requests (e.g., the sheriff’s supplemental staffing). Staff noted lenders and rating agencies ask routinely about fund balance as part of bond rating and refinancing discussions.

Discussion vs. decision: commissioners and staff discussed the FEMA estimate and how to reflect it in the proposed budget. The court directed staff to incorporate the updated repair and temporary bridge figures into the next budget edition and examine the tax‑rate and fund‑balance implications. No final reduction vote on the contingency line was recorded at the meeting; staff said they would reflect the updated figures in the third edition of the proposed budget so the court could act before the filing deadline.

Why it matters: Revising the road/bridge contingency downward by several million dollars affects the county’s projected fund balance and creates room to consider staffing and other requests without increasing the tax rate as much. The county must balance immediate recovery needs, FEMA match requirements and best‑practice reserve targets while meeting the statutory deadline to file a proposed budget.

What to watch next: The auditor will publish a third edition of the proposed budget reflecting the FEMA/engineer figures; commissioners will decide whether to use the freed funds to lower the tax rate, increase employee pay, or include sheriff staffing requests when they vote to file the proposed budget.","Engineers and FEMA estimated a targeted repair and temporary bridge for the Cape Loop (Kegeloop) crossing instead of a full $6.5 million rebuild; commissioners said that lowers the county’s projected contingency need by several million, which could help reduce pressure on fund balance and the tax rate.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6144547,"Kerr County sheriff asks commissioners to add deputies, dispatchers and vehicle outfitting to next budget edition",2480,300000,2780000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5533953-159c6a586bed1c1c16b4d153af58cbeb&start=300&end=2780","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5533953-159c6a586bed1c1c16b4d153af58cbeb/thumbnail_300000.jpg","/articles/6144547/Kerr-County/Texas/Kerr-County-sheriff-asks-commissioners-to-add-deputies-dispatchers-and-vehicle-outfitting-to-next-budget-edition","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6144547-7be96bc0da2924c463ae728cdb276230/orig.mp4?Expires=1771042779&Signature=XpYiibUCHeaG4F7XCzZ989MT2m0uutX4AW077Jme3r9Y8rAqpvxuT0CWVRXVD89YxPewyfLw244Zc11QPQOmC5bXA~AdJSz5yWsEk2jA7IUtGjEYJuUe9L-G2QPZ0ajGkldALkJG0p0HoN~4JdT0xu6pGbpuWDZqrubCWZotlvRDk6lCUQX2ov6-ToM~nu3PCLg83DKsNpNwTPyvirvxOBW7SLhdD7tIZXDwWc~2oqRs3xMDoKSLybh~hApFIUcbIh4D-dor9RWOqt5ONmwXBkPIXGfRnDL5MGKUAZhE6Tv0h30uondPLXeHEOvJfW0FXPiNUbuj0r8aLC12b19cQw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","KERR COUNTY, Texas — Kerr County’s sheriff told the commissioners court he needs more sworn deputies, additional dispatch personnel and money to outfit vehicles after a recent storm disrupted operations and stretched staff.

The sheriff said he originally put in requests for “a jailer and a deputy” and that one deputy and one investigator (CID) have already been approved. He asked the court to add “1 more deputy, 2 dispatchers” and additional CID personnel to reach staffing levels he said are necessary for safe coverage: “I need to get to 8 deputies, but we gotta get to 7 first.”

The sheriff described operational pressure during recent storm response: with deputies using PTO, medical leave and long transports he said the office often falls to two or three deputies and cannot safely cover the county. He gave a sample workload number: “253 today. Last year, full year, 253.” He also said mental-health transports and unattended-death responses further reduce patrol availability.

The sheriff asked that three additional vehicles be outfitted and provided a rough cost for outfitting and lease payments; the figure cited for outfitting three vehicles was about $174,000 and the annual personnel cost for the new positions (after removing a CID already in the budget) was shown in the materials as approximately $258,955. On staffing reclassifications for jail/corrections personnel, county staff and the sheriff’s office presented several line-item estimates; one highlighted annual roll-up figure for two reclassifications was $21,427, and a separate block of three positions (in or entering the academy) was shown as about $31,139 when fully annualized.

County staff cautioned that some of the sheriff’s requests had already been included in the “second edition” of the proposed budget and that the court was preparing a “third edition” that could incorporate additional requests. The judge and auditor said outfitting for an investigator already hired will be addressed in the current-year budget; the additional outfitting requests for future hires would need to be added to the next budget edition. The sheriff also asked for a $15,000 contingency line-item citing repeated vehicle damage and other unpredictable costs.

Discussion vs. decision: the court received the sheriff’s presentation, reviewed three pages of supplemental position requests (two dispatchers, a patrol deputy and CID/investigator positions; reclassifications of corrections officers to deputy/corporal; and three pre‑deputy/academy positions), and instructed staff to produce updated budget figures. There was no formal vote to adopt the sheriff’s supplemental requests at the meeting; county leaders said they would prepare the next budget edition with the additional pages for the court to consider.

Why it matters: The sheriff framed the requests as operationally urgent after a large storm response and an ongoing trend of rising call volume; the court must weigh personnel and vehicle costs against fund-balance targets and other demands when finalizing the budget.

What to watch next: The court signaled it will publish a third edition of the proposed budget with updated numbers; commissioners and the auditor will need to decide whether to include the sheriff’s full supplemental staffing and outfitting costs in the recommended budget to be filed by the statutory deadline.

","Sheriff presented an expanded staffing and outfitting request after recent storms, asking the court to add deputies, dispatchers, investigator positions and vehicle outfitting costs to the next budget edition; commissioners discussed numbers and timing but took no formal vote on the requests.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":102,"_47":103,"_49":104,"_51":105,"_53":106,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":107,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":108,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6144532,"Commissioners set 2% wage adjustment for county staff and authorize elected-official salary notices",0,8111000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5533953-159c6a586bed1c1c16b4d153af58cbeb&start=8111&end=8111","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5533953-159c6a586bed1c1c16b4d153af58cbeb/thumbnail_8111000.jpg","/articles/6144532/Kerr-County/Texas/Commissioners-set-2-wage-adjustment-for-county-staff-and-authorize-elected-official-salary-notices","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6144532-14d222dc463969edf9f332b66c0d6214/orig.mp4?Expires=1771042779&Signature=e7x2iBNA3w~J2sLkIMTfbAQOu7PE2VTDersnizfPRvTia7yxwrACQL6r~HKbjVGYpwli-sZPk~BW34FN8AvUZEQGlb5NUCNow2A0AdLhPUO2OblVbTB~0GPpbVhEhYD-p0Kc347Py4Am14tREBsV6xFV7ycpDDGKV0ut~-qwmKXD~8gMqjxi1X6lWxOUUiQng78ushHn3gBu01VfKQUrXuwIXFZq06o76GABBgpzbUVjOJkqjrXhGosKoUie9IrUiVLOWWWyGbMdzj-9ftA6gTyeL~1x9oQQufczNpT6UZrVi~n5oGeocSA1NOSA6QyIcOni1nzq2x9tqIeSfZxTqQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","KERR COUNTY, Texas — The commissioners court voted unanimously to approve a 2% wage adjustment for county employees and then authorized the county clerk to publish proposed salary increases for elected county and precinct officials, followed by approval of base salaries for elected officials.

Commissioners had debated multiple scenarios, including 0%, 1.5%, 2% and 2.5%. The judge presented summary sheets showing 2% and 2.5% scenarios and the court discussed fiscal tradeoffs given the storm, sheriff requests and FEMA contingency changes. Commissioner comment ranged from urging caution about new hires to stressing fairness for long‑term county employees. After discussion the judge moved for a 2% wage adjustment; a commissioner seconded the motion and the court adopted it unanimously.

Under Texas law and an attorney-general opinion referenced in the meeting, elected officials receive the same percentage adjustment as other county employees unless a separate legal exemption applies. The court therefore authorized the county clerk to publish the proposed elected-official salary increases (paper publication required on Aug. 13 in the meeting timeline) and then approved the base salaries tied to the adopted 2% wage change.

Discussion vs. decision: unlike earlier budget items that were discussion-only, the court took formal action on wage adjustments and on publication of elected‑official salary figures. The motions passed with unanimous hand votes.

Why it matters: The wage adjustment sets the county’s personnel cost baseline for the coming fiscal year and triggers publication requirements for elected officials’ compensation. Commissioners framed the 2% increase as a compromise between employee pay needs and fiscal constraints amid disaster recovery.

What to watch next: The auditor will incorporate the 2% adjustment and the published elected‑official salary figures into the third edition of the proposed budget to be filed by the statutory deadline.","After budget discussions and public comment, commissioners approved a 2% across‑the‑board wage adjustment to employees and adopted motions authorizing publication of elected officials’ proposed salary increases and base salaries; votes were unanimous.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Court debates creating an elections administrator office; public and officials raise governance, timing and staffing concerns

FEMA estimate reduces Cape Loop bridge rebuild cost; court may cut contingency from proposed budget

Kerr County sheriff asks commissioners to add deputies, dispatchers and vehicle outfitting to next budget edition

Commissioners set 2% wage adjustment for county staff and authorize elected-official salary notices