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Midland County court approves deputy constable positions amid split votes and budget concern
Summary
The Commissioners Court approved creation and reinstatement of deputy constable positions for Precinct 3 and Precinct 4, with funding from contingency accounts; votes were split and several members urged waiting for the regular budget process.
The Midland County Commissioners Court on Feb. 3 approved the creation of a Deputy Constable position for Precinct 3 and reinstated a Deputy Constable for Precinct 4, authorizing salary and equipment funding from contingency accounts.
Commissioner Steven Villela moved to create the Precinct 3 deputy at pay scale 21.7 with salary and benefits funded from salary contingency and equipment funded from county contingency for an amount not to exceed $124,520; the motion was recorded as For: Hall, Villela; Against: Somers, Johnson; Anderson abstained. Later in the meeting, Commissioner Dianne Anderson moved to reinstate the Precinct 4 deputy and to provide $6,060 for equipment from contingency with salary coming from salary contingency at grade 21.7; that motion passed with Hall, Villela and Anderson voting for it and Somers and Judge Terry Johnson voting against it.
Constable Hall addressed the court with a prepared statement asking for assistance, saying she had "asked for help" and detailed a $6,060 equipment request that included decals, a vest, a docking station and a county cell phone. Judge Terry Johnson raised procedural and fiscal concerns, telling the Court that contingency funds were earmarked using previous numbers and that using those funds mid-year could "ham-string" the budget at year-end. Johnson also expressed an ethical concern about voting when an item affects a member's own department.
Public testimony included comments from Lance Fiday urging decisions be based on "verified facts, legal authority, physical impact and long-term consequences for the people who pay the bills," and Judge Subia (Justice of the Peace Precinct 1) who urged equitable consideration across precincts. County Attorney Russell Malm stated he had not found a statutory prohibition preventing a commissioner from voting on an item affecting her own office but said he would review documents if new information were presented.
The Court’s actions distinguished between direction and formal action: both deputy positions were authorized by motions and recorded votes; no further budget reallocation paperwork was recorded in the minutes and members asked for detailed equipment lists and backup documentation to be provided.
