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Commissioners hear staffing shortfalls, overtime rise as inmate revenue offsets some costs
Summary
County staff reported 18–20 sheriff's office openings, increased overtime driven by jail school and vacancies, and an average daily inmate count of 409 used to bill outside agencies; revenue is routed to county funds but expenses must be tracked to show net effect.
Will, a county maintenance and jail operations staff member, told the Commissioner's Court that open positions at the jail have risen to about 18 to 20, with six candidates currently in background checks.
"Unfortunately our opening positions continue to go up again. So we are setting about 18 or 20. We got 6 in the background," Will said. He and other officials said the staffing shortages contributed to increased overtime, especially while 12 people attended a jail school session during the two-week pay period.
Will said the U.S. Marshals Service is already asking about adding more inmates, but the county is near capacity: "they were already inquiring by adding more inmates, but we're kinda at the point we can't add anymore till we get rid of some." Court documents showed a combined daily inmate figure of 409 used to calculate billable days for outside agencies; Collin County was listed for comparison at 548.
Officials discussed how the revenue is recorded. A county staff member said revenues from housing outside inmates flow into the general fund or into transfer accounts controlled by the sheriff for fees depending on the source. "It goes back to the general budget," one staffer said. County staff recommended tracking both income and corresponding staffing and operating expenses on an ongoing spreadsheet so year-end summaries accurately reflect net revenue rather than gross receipts.
During the discussion, staff estimated the effective hourly cost for a jailer on overtime at roughly $30 per hour (rounded) after time-and-a-half calculations; the figure was presented as an approximate, rounded estimate. No formal personnel actions were taken during the report.
