Taylor County commissioners approve payroll and budget adjustments, create permanent DA investigator and several personnel actions; discuss jail roof and bond-f

Taylor County commissioners on Tuesday approved a package of routine payments and personnel actions and voted to add a permanent investigator to the district attorney's pretrial diversion program, saying the office needs backup capacity.

The court unanimously approved bills for payment and ratified payroll, accepted a budget adjustment that moved auction proceeds into precinct capital accounts, created a two-week temporary court position to train a new County Court at Law No. 1 administrator, upgraded a records-division clerk in the sheriff's office, and approved a permanent investigator position for the district attorney's office with a $65,000 salary to be funded from DA forfeiture funds and SB 22 grant money.

District Attorney Hicks told the court his pretrial diversion program “has an investigator, and it has a secretary, and that is the entire program,” and said he needs a second investigator as backup for Tony Golson, the program's lead, because Golson is undergoing medical treatment. "I cannot let him expire…