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Commissioners authorize budget moves to let sheriff use SB22 supplement for pay increases amid staffing concerns
Summary
After debate over staffing and contingency use, the court approved budget amendments (87 and 88) to allow the sheriff to apply SB22 and leftover salary funds to raise pay for deputies and jailers; one commissioner recorded opposition during the vote.
The Anderson County Commissioners Court voted Sept. 23 to move budget amendments that allow the sheriff to use leftover salary funds, general-fund contingency and Senate Bill 22 (SB22) supplement funds to increase pay for licensed deputies and jailers effective Sept. 16, 2024.
County staff and the auditor said they consulted the Texas Comptroller's Office and confirmed the planned use of SB22 funds does not run afoul of guidance; staff noted the compliance test will reference salaries as of Dec. 31, 2023. "That was the explanation," an auditor's representative said when summarizing the comptroller's response.
Several commissioners raised fiscal and operational concerns. One commissioner said contingency funds had been budgeted to restore six previously funded jailer positions and that using contingency for raises now could reduce funds available for countywide raises next year. The commissioner warned that if inmate counts rose, the county could be forced to ship inmates to other counties and questioned where funds for additional inmate housing would come from if contingency were spent.
The sheriff (unnamed in the transcript) urged the court to make the pay changes to remain competitive in the regional labor market, noting adjacent counties and maximum-security differentials make recruitment difficult. "The whole purpose of my request is to move us into a position where we're competitive," the sheriff said, arguing that better pay would reduce overtime and vacancies.
Commissioner Chapin moved to file budget amendments 87 and 88 to permit the sheriff to use the identified budget lines (including account 1635) to enhance salaries for the remainder of the fiscal year; Commissioner Dixon seconded. The motion passed after the court responded 'Aye,' with one commissioner stating, "I'll be opposed." The record does not include a full roll-call vote tally in the transcript.
County staff will implement the budget amendments and coordinate with the sheriff's office on salary adjustments; commissioners requested continued monitoring of staffing levels and overtime costs.
