McLennan County court approves assistant purchasing director amid wider staffing debates

McLennan County commissioners on Tuesday approved adding an assistant purchasing director while deferring or rejecting a series of other staffing requests as they weigh a roughly $10.8 million shortfall between projected revenues and expenditures.

The action came after the chair asked staff for an update on positions and salaries, and staff told the court the revenue–expenditure delta at the current tax rate is about $10,800,000 and that approving most of the proposed salary and position changes without additional revenue would reduce the county reserve balance.

Why it matters: The county is trying to balance recruiting and retention needs against limited resources. HR data and a peer‑county comparison were cited in support of creating an assistant purchasing director — a common title among peer counties and a position that, staff said, would help stabilize a small purchasing department that has seen rising workload from travel‑card activity and purchase orders.

What the court decided: The court registered consensus approval for the assistant purchasing director position after HR and multiple commissioners signaled support. The court declined or postponed multiple other requests: several part‑time clerk requests for justice‑of‑the‑peace (JP) or constable offices were turned down by consensus, and at least one precinct’s request for two full‑time constable positions was left for further review.

Discussion highlights: Commissioners repeatedly emphasized caution about creating full‑year positions based on short-term projections. One commissioner suggested budgeting a half‑year of salary (0.5 FTE) for positions that may be needed midyear and revisiting the need at six months. The district attorney’s office, sheriff’s office and jail staff had presented justifications for some requests, but members said they wanted more evidence that increased workload would persist before approving full‑year hires.

Court staff also noted that some previously included dollar placeholders (for example, a new lobby at the justice center) were removed from the current draft and could be added later if the facility opens and needs arise.

What’s next: Staff were asked to return with additional workload and staffing data for specific requests and the court recessed to continue business after lunch. Several reclassification requests (for example, converting deputies to investigator classifications) and remaining salary adjustments were left for the afternoon session.

The meeting recessed to 1:30 p.m. for further consideration of budget items and outside‑entity requests.