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Constable for Precinct 3 urges added officers, clerical support and equipment as new state eviction laws increase workload
Summary
Precinct 3 constable told commissioners the office needs motorcycles, a vehicle swap, one permanent part-time clerk and additional officers (one funded by Comal ISD) to meet new statutory eviction timelines and rising travel time; the court took no immediate funding vote.
The constable for Bexar County Precinct 3 outlined a set of budget and operational requests on 09/02/2025, saying recent state laws and local caseloads will require more personnel and time to meet statutory duties.
Speaking at a time-certain presentation, the constable said Precinct 3 covers more than 300 square miles and serves roughly 550,000 residents. He asked the court to approve a series of mostly budget-neutral changes: use unexpected salary savings to buy two BMW police motorcycles and related equipment, allow a fleet vehicle swap (a pickup truck for a Tahoe) between precincts, convert a long-term temporary part-time clerk to a permanent part-time position, and change an agreement with Comal Independent School District to add one school resource officer (SRO) funded 100% by Comal ISD.
The constable said newly enacted state measures addressing squatters and certain eviction time frames (identified in the meeting as Senate Bill 38 and related Senate Bill 13 33) will increase time spent per eviction because the constable's office must investigate circumstances and prepare handling comparable to a writ-of-possession process. "SB 38 and 13 33 are steps the legislature chose to do to protect private property rights. This will require more time at each precinct and staff hours, very likely an increase in tactical entries to remove entering squatters," the constable told the court.
He presented service-time data for civil process: eviction service averaged about 10.2 business days at one point, writs of possession averaged 30 business days with highs near 45 business days, and with extra staffing the office temporarily reduced times to two to three business days. The constable warned the statutory intent to return property to owners quickly creates a short compliance window and noted a prior instance in which a sheriff's tactical team assisted on a three-day standoff.
The constable also said inventory of misdemeanor warrants is large and largely unresolved; he told the court there are about 16,000 misdemeanor warrants currently in inventory. He proposed passive license-plate reader notifications, dedicated warrant officers, a satellite booking office, shift adjustments and shared assets to reduce overtime and capital costs and to improve collections without increasing jail population.
Commissioner Paul Moody, who praised the level of detail and called the constable a subject-matter expert, said he supported low-cost, budget-neutral requests and urged staff and the constable to flesh out options such as the Comal ISD SRO funding change so the county can proceed without shifting ongoing costs to the general fund. The court did not take an immediate vote on budget increases at the time of the presentation.
