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 in my office. I've gotta give him some help and get him well," Hicks said.

Commissioners discussed funding for the investigator position in detail and specified the financing plan during the motion: a $65,000 salary and benefits paid partly from the DA forfeiture account and the remaining balance from 2025 DA SB 22 grant funds. The court voted 5-0 to approve the position.

Other personnel and budget actions approved (all 5-0): the minutes and the day's agenda were adopted; a set of 34 pages of submitted bills and payroll were approved; a budget amendment to allocate auction proceeds to precinct capital accounts ($16,650 and $11,100 to Precincts 3 and 4, respectively) was approved; a temporary court clerk position for County Court at Law No. 1 was approved for two weeks on a budget-neutral basis; and a sheriff's department records clerk was reclassified from C2 to C3 (budget neutral).

The court also held a broader discussion about infrastructure needs. Sheriff representatives described a jail roof that has leaked for years and said repairs cannot be postponed. The sheriff told the court the project is urgent because leaks affect jail cells and rooms that house county computer equipment. Commissioners discussed issuing certificates of obligation to fund the roof and other capital projects, including a secured storage building for seized property and a multiuse law-enforcement training facility. No certificate-of-obligation resolution was voted on at this meeting; Judge Harper said the court intends to consider an intent-to-issue resolution at a future hearing.

Votes at a glance: - Approve minutes of the Jan. 28, 2025 meeting and adopt agenda: mover Commissioner Kendrick, second Commissioner Williams; outcome: approved 5-0. - Approve bills for payment and ratify payroll (34 pages): mover Commissioner Statler, second Commissioner Kendrick; outcome: approved 5-0. - Approve budget adjustments/transfers (auction proceeds into precinct capital accounts): mover Commissioner Bertram, second Commissioner Williams; outcome: approved 5-0. - Create temporary County Court at Law No. 1 position (two weeks) for training: mover Commissioner Bertram, second Commissioner Williams; outcome: approved 5-0. - Create permanent Taylor County District Attorney investigator (salary $65,000, benefits): mover Commissioner Statler, second Commissioner Williams; funding: DA forfeiture fund and remaining balance from 2025 DA SB 22 grants; outcome: approved 5-0. - Reclassify Sheriff's records division clerk from C2 to C3 (budget neutral): mover Commissioner Bertram, second Commissioner Kendrick; outcome: approved 5-0.

Why this matters: The DA investigator position creates sustained capacity for a diversion program that officials said has a high success rate; certificate-of-obligation planning signals how the county may finance urgent infrastructure repairs without an immediate, large tax increase.

Ending: Commissioners said they will return to the capital-funding question at a future court meeting and that the jail roof and related contingencies remain a near-term priority.