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Rockwall County approves higher constable pay after sheriff, constable press staffing needs
Summary
Commissioners voted to raise constable salaries to $98,000 and approved other elected-official pay changes after Sheriff Terry Garrett and Constable Randy Parks urged restoration of staffing and equipment requests during an August 14 special meeting on the FY2026 draft budget.
Rockwall County Commissioners on Aug. 14 voted to set next year's constable salary at $98,000 after testimony from the sheriff and a precinct constable pressing for more staffing and equipment.
The change followed public comments from Sheriff Terry Garrett and Constable Randy Parks, who urged the court to restore several items that were removed from the first draft of the FY2026 budget.
Sheriff Terry Garrett told the court that "public safety is an essential function in keeping our community safe and secure," and said Rockwall County has seen rapid growth that has not been matched by staffing increases. "Since 2017, Rockwall County population has grown by 93%, yet our staffing has only increased by approximately 45%," Garrett said, adding the jail is "housing 264 inmates who committed crimes here in our county." He asked the court to reinstate communications, detention and courthouse deputy positions, reclassifications and salary adjustments to retain staff.
Constable Randy Parks said Precinct 4 workload has risen sharply and asked the court to restore a part-time deputy and equipment. Parks described a part-time deputy at roughly 27 hours per week as costing "$49,140" in base pay and a "loaded total amount" of "$58,977" after benefits and employer costs. He also asked for a replacement vehicle (a Tahoe) and associated radio and camera, citing figures presented to the court during his remarks.
Commissioners debated several options for addressing workload in the constable offices, including adding a shared administrative clerk under the county clerk's office to handle paperwork, deputies or part-time positions, and standardizing vehicle, fuel and maintenance allowances across precincts. The court discussed funding sources, including whether to use Fund 51 (the public safety sales tax) to pay for some requests.
Formal actions: the court voted 5-0 to set constable salaries for FY2026 at $98,000. Separately, the court later voted 4-1 to increase all other elected-official salaries (excluding constables) by 3% over their FY2025 pay; that motion was made and seconded on the record and the auditor was directed to prepare the required written notices to elected officials per Texas Local Government Code. The judge also asked staff to "add 3 dispatchers headcount in, but not funding" so the court can identify funding sources; that was recorded as direction to staff rather than a funded appropriation.
Why it matters: Commissioners said salary and staffing choices affect response times and employee retention in a competitive labor market. Several members framed pay adjustments as a step toward preventing chronic vacancies that push remaining staff into excessive overtime.
What's next: Staff were asked to return revised budget numbers, cost impacts, and written materials on funding options (including use of special funds and potential offsets) in time for the second draft of the FY2026 budget and the public hearing cycle.
