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Sheriff reports staffing gaps and inmate placements; court declares seized pickup surplus, seeks bids for replacement
Summary
The sheriff told commissioners the jail houses 16 inmates and the department is short one deputy and one dispatcher after a resignation. The court declared a 2012 Dodge pickup surplus for auction and approved taking bids for a 2025 Chevrolet three‑quarter‑ton pickup; a proposed UTV purchase was discussed but no action was taken.
Callahan County’s sheriff reported March 10 that the county is currently housing 16 inmates across multiple neighboring counties and is short staffed in both deputies and dispatch after a recent resignation.
The sheriff told the commissioners the county was housing three males and four females at Callahan County, five males and one female at Taylor County, two males in Coleman County and one female in Shackelford County for a total of 16 inmates. For the current pay period, dispatch overtime totaled 20.75 hours and deputies logged five hours of overtime. The sheriff said one deputy vacancy remains and the dispatch unit is now down one position after Alita’s resignation to take a different job.
On equipment and fleet matters, the court declared a seized 2012 Dodge pickup from the sheriff’s office as surplus and approved disposal via auction. Commissioners discussed the vehicle’s limited recent use and noted offers indicating it could bring more than $20,000 at auction.
The court also authorized taking bids for a 2025 Chevrolet three‑quarter‑ton gas pickup to replace aging fleet vehicles; funding for the replacement was described as coming from Senate Bill 22 funds. Commissioner McGowan moved to take bids for the pickup, Commissioner Windham seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
Separately, the sheriff requested purchase approval for a 2025 Polaris side‑by‑side (UTV) priced at $42,090 for off‑road search capability. Commissioners discussed procurement thresholds and purchasing policy; no formal approval was recorded for the UTV and staff said the purchase policy would be reviewed to determine whether the sheriff could proceed under departmental procurement rules or whether court approval is required when a purchase exceeds local thresholds.
