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County treasurer seeks modest budget increases and flags payroll/timekeeping technology limits
Summary
Treasurer David Peake asked commissioners on June 12 for small increases in office supplies and postage and proposed pay adjustments for senior staff; he also described limits in the county’s payroll systems and the challenges of replacing paper time sheets while preserving required records.
David Peake, Rockwall County treasurer, told the Commissioners Court on June 12 that his office’s FY2026 request is focused on two modest operating increases and targeted personnel adjustments while attempting to minimize capital outlays.
Peake said his office did not include $3,000 in IT‑recommended laptop replacements because the department found its current laptops serviceable; instead he requested about $2,500 more than the current budget for postage and office supplies. “If you look at my budget sheet…the only 2 items under the stuff category that are increasing is the office supply line and the postage expense,” Peake said.
On personnel, Peake requested a 10% increase for his chief deputy and for the payroll coordinator and a 3%–4% increase to bring two senior clerks to the top of their existing grade ranges. He described his staff as highly experienced — the least‑experienced member has roughly 15 years of relevant finance or accounting experience, and the average relevant experience is about 24 years — and said the requested increases would total roughly $15,000–$20,000 loaded. “I owe so much to my staff,” Peake said. “I have an incredibly experienced staff…they assist me in safeguarding about $120,000,000 of taxpayer funds.”
The treasurer also described technical constraints that affect payroll processing. Rockwall County currently uses NetData financial software and a largely paper‑based time sheet process for staff across departments. Peake said payroll vendors such as ADP have reached out in the past but do not integrate cleanly with the county’s NetData system or handle all of Rockwall’s pay codes and local pay practices without substantial customization. That mismatch, Peake said, has been a recurring barrier to automating time submission across departments.
Commissioners pressed the office on whether technology investment could reduce workload or head count pressure. Peake said the county is “somewhat constrained” by NetData and county personnel policies that treat signed time sheets as the official payroll record, but he said he and staff are open to efficiency improvements. The treasurer’s office confirmed that hardware items such as laptops are eligible to be funded from the county’s Fund 56 (technology fund).
Peake’s presentation prompted a discussion among commissioners about whether to pursue electronic timekeeping and payroll portals countywide to reduce manual paper routing. Commissioners asked staff to explore options and to weigh the tradeoffs: potential efficiency gains versus the cost and the need to keep legally required record formats for auditing and disciplinary uses.
Why this matters: Peake’s personnel proposal and the county’s technology choices affect payroll costs, administrative workload and the county’s ability to scale services without expanding headcount. Commissioners will consider the treasurer’s requests alongside other departmental asks during the FY2026 budget process.
What’s next: The Treasurer’s Office will continue to meet with IT and auditor staff on Fund 56 eligibility for devices and to explore secure options for digitizing time submission; no formal action was taken June 12.
