Commissioners approve budget amendments including $50,000 for Youth Show and new EMS training captain

Karnes County commissioners voted to adopt a set of budget amendments discussed in the Aug. 5 budget workshop, approving personnel changes, capital outlay allocations and program lines after extended discussion.

County staff summarized the items: two SRO positions, an IT technician, a grant-administrator position, reductions in certain JP staffing hours, and multiple line-item adjustments across sheriff, EMS and road/bridge budgets. Specific capital allocations were highlighted in the packet: annex repairs ($2,000,000), Gillette and Runge EMS stations ($2,000,000 each), CAD system upgrades, and an EMS training facility line. The court added a $50,000 donation to the Karnes County Youth Show Barn as part of capital outlay discussions; some commissioners had earlier pushed back on a larger $226,000 paving proposal and recommended seeking additional contributors.

Commissioners debated whether to create a county grant administrator or contract grant-writing services. One commissioner relayed peer counties often contract such services to avoid salary/benefit costs; others said an in-house grant administrator could better manage paperwork and reduce the risk of returning funds. On EMS staffing, commissioners approved budgeting a training-captain position with an $82,522.70 base salary and a total fringe-inclusive cost of approximately $107,000 to provide clinical oversight, continuing education and outreach as the new facility is built.

The motion to approve the amendments carried (court recorded a 4–1 vote with one commissioner opposed). Staff will finalize worksheets and deliver the updated budget to the county clerk for public posting ahead of filing deadlines.

"This training captain will oversee day-to-day clinical oversight and continuing education for our field personnel," county EMS leadership said when explaining the position to the court.