New prosecuting attorney reports hot-check fund balance, warns of funding gap for cell phone service

Brandon Carter, sworn in as Washington County’s prosecuting attorney on Jan. 1, delivered the annual report on the office’s hot-check fund to the Quorum Court on Jan. 16 and warned that the fund’s revenue will likely no longer cover communications costs.

Carter explained that the hot-check process begins when a merchant brings a worthless check to the prosecutor’s office; the office sends a demand letter and may collect the check and statutory fees. He said the fee schedule varies by check amount and summarized the office’s 2024 activity: a hot-check fund balance of $24,697.85 as of Dec. 31, 2023; fee collections in 2024 of $2,226.56; and expenditures in 2024 of $13,180.40. Carter said the largest recurring expenditure from the fund has been cellular service for the prosecutor’s office.

Carter said the year-end balance on his report was $13,744.10 and that, as of the meeting date, the balance was $12,751.40 after paying a cell-phone bill. He said his predecessor estimated revenues of about $2,000 for the coming year and that continued reliance on the hot-check fund to pay communications costs is not sustainable. “I’m likely going to have to approach the quorum court for the next budget year and ask for a line item to pay for communications equipment, that being our cell phones,” he told the court.

Carter said the office will shop for competitive cellular plans before making a budget request. He described typical allowable uses for the fund as litigation and prosecutorial office expenses such as travel, supplies and attorney licenses.

No formal motion or vote resulted from the presentation; the report was presented as the statutorily required annual review.