[00:00:01]
[Call to Order]
I WANT TO GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED ON THE, UH, PARKER COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT BUDGET AGENDA, UH, FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 13TH, 2024 AT 9:00 AM UH, THE RECORD SHOW.WE DO HAVE A QUORUM AND WE'LL GET STARTED HERE.
[Items I.A. & I.B.]
ONE, UH, CONSIDER AND DISCUSSING ACT ONE, THE, UH, DISCUSSION APPROVAL ON THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR THE 20 24 20 25 BUDGET YEAR, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ITEM A PRESENT DISCUSS APPROVED GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR 20 24, 20 25.UM, TO WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST, I PUT TOGETHER SOME INFORMATION FOR YOU TO SEE, UM, HOW THE PROPOSED BUDGET HAS COME TOGETHER AND ACCUMULATION OF ALL THE, UM, REQUEST, UM, WHICH MORE DETAIL OF ALL THE, UM, GOT THIS ONE.
UM, OF ALL THE REQUEST ITEMS, DEPART WORKSHOP, BUT AGAIN, ACCUMULATING ALL THESE DIFFERENT, ALL FOR SOME OF THESE WERE FISCAL.
SO THE FIRST SPREADSHEET, UH, GIVES YOU SUMMARY OF WHAT OUR CURRENT TAX RATE IS, AND THEN WHAT THE PROPOSED RATE PRESS THE WELL TO WHAT, SORRY.
SO THIS FIRST TOP PORTION SHOWS WHAT OUR CURRENT TAX RATE IS, AND THEN WHAT WAS USED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET, WHICH WAS THE SAME AS THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE.
UM, YOU COULD SEE THE DIFFERENCE FOR ALL THREE OF THE TAX RATE COMPONENTS, SORRY.
UM, SO OUR GENERAL FUND MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS, YOU CAN SEE THAT'S A DECREASE OUR INTEREST IN SINKING AN INCREASE, AND THEN A SLIGHT DECREASE FOR LATERAL ROADING BRIDGE.
AND SO IT'S ABOUT A SEVEN TENTHS OF A CENT, UM, DECREASE OVER LAST YEAR.
IF WE LOOK AT WHAT DOES THAT EQUATE TO IN REVENUE, UH, YOU COULD SEE FOR GENERAL FUND MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS, IT'S A DECREASE OF ABOUT 2.1 MILLION, AN INCREASE FOR, UM, INTEREST IN SINKING FUND OF ALMOST 4.4 MILLION, AND THEN AN INCREASE FOR LATERAL ROAD AND BRIDGE OF 350,000.
UM, SO OVERALL IT'S A $2.6 MILLION INCREASE.
AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS THE INCREASE IN OUR, UM, DEBT SERVICE.
AND THEN OF COURSE, UM, THAT'S OFFSET BY THE DECREASE IN THE GENERAL FUND.
SO JUST TO CLARIFY THIS, UM, 2.1 MILLION, 2,151,810, TAKING THAT AMOUNT IS WHAT'S GONNA BE NEEDED TO GET US TO THE EFFECTIVE RATE TO, TO GET US TO THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE, RIGHT? SO IF WE LOOK AT LAST YEAR'S PROPERTY TAX PROJECTIONS AND COMPARE THAT TO THIS YEAR AT THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE, IT'S A DECREASE.
SO WE DO HAVE THE NEW CONSTRUCTION, BUT AS, AS YOU RECALL, UM, WE ADOPTED ABOVE A NO NEW REVENUE RATE, AND SO THAT ADJUSTS FOR IT IF A NO NEW REVENUE RATE WAS ADOPTED.
SO JUST KIND SETTING THIS, SETTING, THE UNDERSTANDING HERE IS WE'RE AT GROUND ZERO, WE'RE AT, WE'RE EVEN NOW WITH THAT 2.1 MILLION.
NOW, WHATEVER WE APPROVE GOING FORWARD WITH THIS THEN STARTS DEDUCTING.
I'LL GET TO THAT OF WHERE WE BALANCE THE PROPOSED BUDGET AT.
SO THIS NEXT SECTION SHOWS OUR DEBT
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SERVICE.UM, FOR 2024, OUR DEBT SERVICE WAS ALMOST 11.9 MILLION.
AND THEN IN 2025, IT'S ABOUT ALMOST 16 MILLION.
UM, I'VE PROVIDED YOU ALL A DETAIL OF WHAT THOSE DEBT SERVICE PAYMENTS ARE.
UM, A BOND WAS APPROVED LAST NOVEMBER.
WE DREW DOWN $80 MILLION WORTH OF THOSE BOND FUNDS.
AND SO, UH, THE FIRST INTEREST PAYMENT WILL BE DUE, UM, THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
SO THAT'S PART OF, UM, PART OF THE INCREASE AS WELL AS THE REST OF, UM, THE ADDITIONAL DEBT SERVICE.
SO YOU CAN SEE OVER LAST YEAR, IT'S ABOUT A $4 MILLION, UM, INCREASE IN OUR DEBT SERVICE.
AND AGAIN, THAT'S THE DRIVER OF WHY THE DEBT RATE, UM, INCREASES TO COVER, UH, THAT DEBT FUNDING.
UM, ONE THING THAT WE DID DO IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND WHAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE TAX RATE CALCULATION IS USING 750,000 FROM FUND BALANCE FROM, UM, FOR DEBT SERVICE, AND THAT'S WITHIN THE DEBT SERVICE FUND.
UM, ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF WHEN WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE TAX RATE CALCULATION AND NOTICES IS TO DO A PROJECTION OF A FUND BALANCE OF DEBT SERVICE.
AND IN LOOKING AT THAT, UM, AND BEING ABLE TO DECREASE SOME OF, UM, THE DEBT SERVICE RATE, AND THEN OF COURSE, UM, KIND OF THE FLIP OF THAT, OF GOING TO YOUR M AND O AND STILL COVERING OUR DEBT NEEDS, UM, WE USE THAT 750,000 FOR THAT.
SO THIS BOTTOM SECTION SHOWS HOW THE PROPOSED BUDGET, UM, COMPARES TO THE 2024 ADOPTED BUDGET THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW.
UM, ONE THING TO KEEP IN MIND IN THIS PROPOSED BUDGET, IT DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY OF THE, UM, SALARY OR BENEFITS REQUESTS THAT YOU'LL HEAR.
ANY CAP, NON CAP, UM, IT RELATED ITEMS THAT ARE BEING REQUESTED ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
AND THEN, UM, ANY SORT OF CAPITAL OR CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY IN, UM, SOME OF THOSE ROLLOVER ITEMS WE'RE WORKING ON THAT.
AND SO, UM, THOSE WILL COME BEFORE YOU TO BE REAPPROPRIATED, AND SO THOSE ARE NOT IN THERE.
SO IT'S MORE, UM, LOOKING AT YOUR CURRENT SALARY AND BENEFITS, AND THEN ANY INCREASE IN OPERATIONS THAT THE DEPARTMENTS WOULD'VE INPUT INTO STW.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT YES, IT'S A DECREASE IF WE LOOK AT OUR ADOPTED BUDGET, BUT AGAIN, THAT ADOPTED BUDGET WOULD HAVE ALL THOSE, UM, CAP, NON CAP, UM, AND CAPITAL PROJECTS INCLUDED IN THERE.
UM, OVERALL YOU CAN SEE THAT WE DECREASED REVENUE ABOUT 774,000.
AGAIN, THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS COMING FROM OUR, UM, PROPERTY TAXES.
IF WE STAY AT A NO NEW REVENUE RATE, UM, THAT'S THE MAJORITY OF THE DECREASE.
UM, SOME OF THE LINES INCREASE, MOST NOTABLY THE SALES TAX.
UM, WE LOOK AT ALL THE DIFFERENT FEES OF OFFICES.
UM, ONE SIGNIFICANT ONE THAT WE ACTUALLY, UM, ELIMINATED WAS WE RECEIVE REVENUE, UM, FROM THE JAIL FOR TELEPHONES.
UM, THERE WAS, UM, SHERIFF OR, UM, ANNETTE'S PROBABLY BETTER AT EXPLAINING SOME OF THAT, BUT THERE WAS, UM, FEDERAL, I GUESS, LAW THAT CHANGED WHAT YOU CAN CHARGE ON SOME OF THOSE CAPS.
AND SO, UM, AS A RESULT OF THAT, WE ACTUALLY ELIMINATED IT BECAUSE IT DROPPED IT SIGNIFICANTLY.
AND IF WE LOOKED OVER THE LAST FEW, UM, FISCAL YEARS, WE'VE ACTUALLY DECREASED, UM, THE REVENUE WE ARE BRINGING IN QUITE SIGNIFICANTLY.
AND IN FURTHER DISCUSSIONS, THERE LOOK LIKE A LOT OF THAT, UM, USE OF THE PHONE WHERE WE WERE RECEIVING REVENUE WAS FROM THOSE FEDERAL INMATES THAT WE HAD THAT WE NO LONGER HAVE IN OUR JAIL.
UM, SO THAT WAS ONE SIGNIFICANT DECREASE.
UM, ONE OF THE INCREASES WAS INTEREST INCOME.
UM, OBVIOUSLY
WE'LL SEE KIND OF WHERE THAT IS AND WE'LL LOOK AT WHAT WE'VE BUDGETED, AND THEN AS WE GO INTO ADOPTION, WE'LL SEE IF WE NEED TO ADJUST THAT ANY, SO FOR THE PROPOSED BUDGET, YOU CAN SEE THAT IT WAS BALANCED WITH $1.1 MILLION OF FUND BALANCE.
SO AGAIN, THAT'S BEFORE CONSIDERING ALL THESE REQUESTS.
WE, UM, ARE ALREADY USING, UM, FUND BALANCE.
SO THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS ABOUT 73, ALMOST $74 MILLION.
AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THAT'S A DECREASE FROM THE ADOPTED BUDGET, BUT IT DOES NOT INCLUDE ALL THOSE CAP, NON CAP ITEMS IN THERE AIR.
SO THIS BOTTOM PORTION OF THE SPREADSHEET JUST SHOWS A, UM, TOTAL OF REQUESTS.
SO IT'S BROKEN DOWN BY CAP, NON CAP IT ITEMS, OR SORRY, THE TOP PART IS THE IT ITEMS FOR CAP, NON CAP, JUST REGULAR CAP, NON CAP, UM, SALARY BENEFITS, UH, FOR NEW EMPLOYEES, PART-TIME POSITIONS AND RECLASSIFICATIONS, AS WELL AS THOSE CABINET ON CAP REQUESTS FOR NEW EMPLOYEES.
UM, YOU COULD SEE IN THAT NOTE BELOW,
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UM, NONE OF THESE FIGURES TAKE INTO EFFECT ANY INCREASE IN LONGEVITY.UM, R-T-C-D-R-S CONTRIBUTION RATE, WHICH BECKY WILL TALK ABOUT MORE HERE SHORTLY.
UM, AGAIN, AND THEN IF THERE'S ANY, ALL THE FICA INCREASES RELATED TO TO THOSE ITEMS. UM, IT ALSO, THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE ANY SORT OF COLA IF THAT WAS GIVEN TO, UH, COUNTY EMPLOYEES.
AND THEN IT DOESN'T INCLUDE, IT INCLUDES SHERIFF'S OFFICE REQUESTS, UM, FOR IF THERE'S ANY SORT OF RECLASSIFICATION OF NEW POSITIONS, BUT IT DOES NOT INCLUDE, UM, THE NEW PAY SCALE REQUEST.
SO YOU COULD SEE, UM, IT WOULD INCREASE IF ALL OF THESE THINGS WERE APPROVED.
OUTSIDE OF THE THINGS THAT I SAID AREN'T MENTIONED THERE, UM, IS ABOUT 7.4 MILLION.
BRIANNA, WHAT ABOUT THE, UH, INCREASE IN OUR, OUR ANTICIPATED INCREASE IN OUR, UH, COST FOR THE JAIL MANAGEMENT? UM, SO WE WERE ACTUALLY SPEAKING ABOUT THAT THIS MORNING, AND I THINK IT'LL, WHEN THE PROPOSED BUDGET WAS DONE, IT WAS, UM, COMPLETED WITH AN INCREASED RATE, UM, DAILY PER DIEM RATE.
UM, BUT IN LOOKING AT THE, UM, NUMBER OF BEDS, KIND OF THE OCCUPANCY LEVEL, UM, I WAS SPEAKING WITH ARNETTE AND HE THINKS THAT IT NEEDS TO BE INCREASED BASED ON WHERE, WHERE WE'VE BEEN AND THE FACT THAT WE'RE HOUSING OTHER INMATES OUTSIDE OF, UM, PARKER COUNTY JAIL.
SO, UM, WE THINK IT'S PROBABLY ANOTHER HALF A MILLION INCREASE OR 600,000 THAT'S NOT INCLUDED IN HERE, BECAUSE ONE TIME I'D HEARD 4 MILLION AS AN ANTICIPATED INCREASE, BUT WE KNOW WHERE WE'RE, WHERE WE'RE, WHERE ARE WE AT IN THE CONTRACT.
SO CURRENTLY UNDER THIS CURRENT, UH, FISCAL YEAR, WE'RE GONNA BE SHORT.
WE'RE HAVE SOME MOVE SOME MONEY TO COVER THE, UH, REMAINING TWO MONTHS OF THIS FISCAL YEAR.
MM-HMM,
UH, IT'S A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE ON A DAILY PER DIEM.
WE'RE HOUSING, I THINK 22 OUT RIGHT NOW.
UH, THE FIGURE THAT I PROVIDED AT THE START OF THIS BUDGET SESSION WAS AN INCREASE OF ABOUT $4 MILLION, RIGHT? THAT'S TO BRING UP A, AN AVERAGE DAILY COUNT OF 500 INMATES.
UH, WE'VE ALREADY, WE'VE ALREADY HIT 500 ALREADY, UM, AND I DON'T SEE ANY SIGNS OF US SLOWING DOWN.
SO, UM, THAT FIGURE DOES NOT INCLUDE GUARD HIRE, THE TRANSPORTATION COST THAT, UH, THE CONTRACTOR CHARGES US TO MOVE THESE INMATES BACK AND FORTH FROM OTHER COUNTIES.
MM-HMM,
SO I'M THINKING THAT, UM, 500 A DAILY, UH, CAP OF 500 INMATES IS GONNA BE A LITTLE TOO LOW.
OUR CONTRACTOR ESTIMATES THAT WE'LL PROBABLY MAYBE AT THE END OF THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR, MAYBE BE ABOUT FIVE 50 INMATES, UM, WHICH, YOU KNOW, 60 OR 70 OF THOSE WILL BE HOUSED OUT IN OTHER COUNTIES.
ON TOP OF THAT, WE PAY A HIGHER COUNTY.
WE PAY A HIGHER RATE TO THESE OTHER COUNTIES.
JOHNSON COUNTY'S AT $105 A DAY.
UM, SOME OTHER COUNTIES ARE AT 92 50, WHICH IS HIGHER THAN WHAT WE CURRENTLY PAY LASALLE, UM, FOR THE DAILY RATE.
SO THERE'S GONNA BE INCREASED COST THERE ALSO.
SO THE $4 MILLION ESTIMATE IS, IS INCLUDED.
IS INCLUDED, BUT NOT THE ADDITIONAL FIVE OR SIX, FIVE OR 600,000.
AND JUST IF WE LOOK AT, UM, KIND OF HOW OUR BUDGET HAS TRENDED, UM, OVER THE LAST FEW FISCAL YEARS, UM, IT'S TINY, BUT, SO YOU COULD SEE, YOU KNOW, JUST FROM 2015 ON TO 2024, OF COURSE THINGS HAVE CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY.
YOU COULD SEE IN SOME YEARS IT'S, YOU KNOW, 8, 9 1 YEAR WAS ACTUALLY A DECREASE.
AND THEN IF WE LOOK AT THE LAST THREE FISCAL YEARS, UM, IT'S BEEN A 15% INCREASE FOR, UH, 21 TO 22 AS WELL AS 22 TO 23.
AND THEN FROM THE 23 TO 24 CURRENT BUDGET WE'RE IN, IT WAS ABOUT A 10% INCREASE JUST TO KIND OF SEE WHERE WE'RE TRENDING.
UM, ON AVERAGE, IF YOU LOOK LIKE THAT FIVE YEAR AVERAGE, WE, FROM A EXPENSE STANDPOINT, WE SPEND ABOUT 92% OF BUDGETED EXPENSES.
AND AGAIN, JUST FOR YOUR REFERENCE, I'VE INCLUDED, WHICH IS BEHIND THIS SPREADSHEET, IS ALL OF THE DEBT SERVICE, UM, PAYMENTS.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE, UM, YOU KNOW, NEXT YEAR WE'LL INCREASE AND THEN IT'LL KIND OF STAY ABOUT THE SAME FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
I THINK BREONNA HAS ASK A QUICK QUESTION.
YOU HAD MENTIONED IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS WE'D AVERAGE SPENDING 90% ON THOSE EXPENSES.
SO DOES THAT MEAN WE HAVE 8% THAT WE'RE PUSH ROLLING FORWARD? RIGHT.
UM, AND SO IF YOU RECALL, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE PRESENTED
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THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, I, I THINK YOU CAN SEE ON THAT, THOSE LAST PAGES, THE SUPPLEMENTAL PAGES, WHERE WE WENT THROUGH BY DEPARTMENT AND YOU SEE THOSE POSITIVE VARIANCES, UH, OR WHEN WE'RE SEEING THAT INCREASE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE BUDGET FOR A DECREASE IN FUND BALANCE AND THEN WHAT ACTUALLY OCCURS.UM, PART OF IT IS THAT IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT USING A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE BUDGET, WHICH I GUESS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A GOOD THING.
UM, IT MAKES IT DIFFICULT, RIGHT? WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT ARE WE GONNA SPEND FROM FUND BALANCE, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, ON AVERAGE WE'RE SPENDING ABOUT 92%.
SO, AND LIKE WE HAD TALKED ABOUT DURING THE FINANCIALS, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THAT, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PORTION IS WITHIN YOUR PAYROLL AND SALARY COSTS.
AGAIN, WHEN NEW POSITIONS ARE APPROVED, UM, SOMETIMES IT TAKES A WHILE TO HIRE THOSE POSITIONS.
UM, SO YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, SAVINGS THERE OR, YOU KNOW, IN SOME CASES WHERE SOME MAY NOT BE PAID DIRECTLY AT BUDGET, UM, OR AGAIN, IF YOU HAVE RETIREMENTS OR PEOPLE LEAVE, AND THEN AGAIN, FILLING THOSE VACANCIES, ALL OF THOSE GO INTO SAVINGS.
SO YEAH, SO THIS JUST BREAKS OUT WHAT THE DEBT SERVICE IS, AND THEN THE NEXT COUPLE PAGES, YOU CAN JUST SEE THE SERIES AND KIND OF WHAT IT, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AT AN AGGREGATE LEVEL.
SO THIS NEXT SHEET, WHICH, OKAY, SO THIS IS THE NOTICE OF THE 2024, UM, TAX RATES.
YOU CAN SEE WHAT WAS USED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS THE, LEMME SEE IF I CAN MAKE THIS A LITTLE BIT BIGGER, IS THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE.
UM, SO IT'S ABOUT 20, ALMOST 28 CENTS, AND THEN YOU COULD SEE WHAT THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE IS.
AND SO THAT'S THE HIGHEST RATE THAT, UM, A TAXING ENTITY CAN ADOPT WITHOUT TRIGGERING AN ELECTION.
SO ONE CHANGE THAT THEY MADE THIS YEAR, AND I'VE EXPLAINED IT, UM, PREVIOUSLY, IS THE UNUSED INCREMENTAL RATE.
AND SO WHAT THAT IS, IS YOU CALCULATE FOR THE PRIOR THREE YEARS IS WHAT IS THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE AND WHAT IS THE RATE THAT THE ENTITY, UM, ADOPTED THAT DIFFERENCE.
YOU BASICALLY CAN BANK FOR FUTURE USE, UM, IF IT'S NEEDED BY, BY THE ENTITIES.
AND SO, UM, THE LEGISLATURE ACTUALLY CHANGED THE WAY THAT RATE IS BEING CALCULATED.
SO PREVIOUSLY AGAIN, YOU TOOK THE, WHAT IS THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE, WHAT IS THE RATE THAT THE ENTITY ADOPTED? AND THAT DIFFERENCE FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS THEN IS ADDED TO, UM, PRODUCE YOUR VOTER APPROVAL RATE.
UM, THE LEGISLATURE KINDA LOOKING INTO IT WAS DECIDED WELL THAT PENNY THREE YEARS AGO, UM, BECAUSE YOUR TAXABLE VALUE HAS RAISED SIGNIFICANTLY, OR IN MOST ENTITIES, THAT PENNY IS WORTH A WHOLE LOT MORE NOW THAN IT WAS THREE YEARS AGO.
AND SO NOW THEY REQUIRE US TO ACTUALLY CALCULATE THAT FOREGONE REVENUE.
SO YOU TAKE THAT INCREMENTAL RATE THAT YOU DIDN'T USE, AND YOU, UM, MULTIPLY THAT BY THE TAXABLE VALUE AT THAT TIME TO COME UP WITH THE THREE YEARS.
THEN YOU ADD THAT TOGETHER AND DO YOUR TAXABLE BASE NOW.
SO BASICALLY IT REDUCES THOSE INCREMENTAL RATES, UM, THAT ENTITIES HAD, IT'S ADJUSTING, UM, FOR BASICALLY THAT THAT INCREASE IN VALUE.
UM, SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD TO DO, UM, THIS YEAR.
AND SO THAT VOTER APPROVAL RATE INCLUDES THAT, UM, UNUSED INCREMENTAL RATE.
SO AGAIN, UM, YOU CAN ADOPT ANYWHERE BETWEEN THAT, NO NEW REVENUE RATE AND THAT VOTER APPROVAL RATE WITHOUT TRIGGERING AN ELECTION.
AND THEN THE REST OF IT PRETTY MUCH JUST SHOWS, UM, WHAT THE DEBT SERVICE PAYMENTS ARE.
AND THEN ANY, YOU KNOW, AS I HAD MENTIONED, WELL LET'S, OKAY, THIS TOP PART IS THE UNENCUMBERED FUND BALANCE.
AND SO THAT'S, UM, ANYTHING THAT'S UNRESERVED OR RESTRICTED FOR SOME SORT OF USE.
AND SO, UM, WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THE FINANCIALS, YOU SAW THAT THERE WAS THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE, AND THEN THERE'S SOME OF THE FUND BALANCE THAT'S RESTRICTED FOR CERTAIN, UM, PROGRAMS OR STATE USE.
AND SO AGAIN, THIS IS A PROJECTION, UM, PROJECTING THAT IT'LL INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR.
THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT GO INTO IT.
AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF A, UM, FISCAL YEAR.
WE WILL PAY EXPENSES UP THROUGH PROBABLY DECEMBER.
A LOT OF THOSE THAT WE, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'LL BE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I TAKE WHAT ACTUALS WE HAVE OUT THERE, WHAT, UM, ENCUMBRANCES
[00:20:01]
I CAN SEE.UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, ATTORNEY'S FEES IS THE BIG ONE THAT YOU JUST REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S GONNA BE, UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY DO ALL THEIR INTERIM, YOU KNOW, BILLING A LOT AT THE END.
UM, ALSO PROJECTING REVENUE STREAM.
SO JUST LOOKING AT WHAT WE'VE COLLECTED THIS YEAR AND JUST TRYING TO PROJECT OUT THE REMAINING MONTHS.
THERE'S SOME YEARS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN CLOSED AND THERE'S OTHER YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN OFF, UM, JUST BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY ESTIMATES THAT GO INTO IT.
AND SO THESE SHOW, UM, FOR FUND OR FOR GENERAL FUND, UM, AND THEN DEBT SERVICE.
SO THIS NEXT PART, LIKE I SAID, THIS IS JUST, UM, THAT SAME LIST OF OUR DEBT OBLIGATIONS, UM, TO BE PAID NEXT YEAR.
UM, AND AS I MENTIONED, WE USE 750,000 OF FUND BALANCE TO DECREASE THAT RATE.
UM, ONE THING THAT WAS IMPLEMENTED, UM, I GUESS IT'S BEEN A FEW YEARS BACK, IS WE HAVE TO, UM, ACCOUNT FOR ANY EXCESS COLLECTIONS THAT WE RECEIVE.
AND SO, UM, THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT CERTIFIES THAT NUMBER AND, AND WHAT REALLY WHAT THAT MEANS IS HERE'S WHAT YOU EXPECTED TO RECEIVE, HERE'S WHAT YOU DID.
AND SO THOSE EXCESS COLLECTIONS SHOULD BE ACCOUNTED FOR AND IT ACTUALLY REDUCES YOUR DEBT RATE BECAUSE, UM, REALLY THAT NUMBER SHOULD BE SITTING WITHIN YOUR FUND BALANCE TO COVER THOSE DEBT SERVICE PAYMENTS.
SO THIS NEXT SPREADSHEET IS SHOWING THE ACTUAL, UM, REVENUE PROJECTIONS.
AND SO WHAT I DO IS WHEN I, UM, YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE THIS ONE, BUT I'LL JUST KIND OF SHOW YOU TO ALWAYS CHECK WHETHER MY SPREADSHEET IS WORKING LIKE IT SHOULD, IS, UM, WHEN WE RECEIVE THE CERTIFIED VALUES FROM, UM, PCAD, IT IS NEW VALUES AND OLD TAX RATES AND THEN IT HAS A TAXABLE VALUE, UM, OR TOTAL TAX THAT YOU WOULD COLLECT ON THAT.
AND SO I DROP, UM, THOSE NEW VALUES IN THE OLD RATE INTO MY SPREADSHEET, AND THEN I CALCULATE, AM I CALCULATING THE SAME THING AS PCA? AND SO ON GENERAL FUND, I'M WITHIN $10,000 ON 62 MILLION.
AND THEN ON ROAD AND BRIDGE I'M WITHIN $5 OF ALMOST 16 MILLION.
SO THAT'S KIND OF A CHECK, UM, THAT I DO JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THINGS ARE WORKING AS THEY SHOULD.
SO HERE IS THE ACTUAL PROJECTION OF OUR DEBT SERVICE M AND O AND THEN ROAD IN BRIDGE.
AND SO WE ADJUST, UM, AND, AND THAT'S SOMETHING I ALWAYS LOOK AT OR, UM, GET THE RECOMMENDATION AS WELL OF THE CHIEF APPRAISER JUST TO MAKE SURE, UM, HOW I'M ADJUSTING IT.
AGAIN, THERE'S GONNA BE SOME COLLECTIBILITY DELINQUENT TAXES.
AND SO I ALWAYS LOOK AT THAT RATE.
AND SO I HAVE 98.75% AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IN LINE WITH WHAT OUR COLLECTION RATE IS.
AND SO HE THOUGHT THAT WAS APPROPRIATE.
UM, SO THOSE FIRST NUMBERS I HAD SHOWN YOU OF THE, OF THE INCREASES, UM, AND DECREASE TO GENERAL FUND, THIS IS WHERE, THIS IS WHERE THAT'S COMING FROM.
SO YOU JUST HAVE A DETAILED CALCULATION TO LOOK AT AND HOW THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE FROZEN LEVEES ALLOCATED AND THEN, UM, THAT THE NEW CONSTRUCTION VALUE.
UM, SO, SO RIGHT HERE IN THIS PORTION, THIS IS ACTUALLY FROM NEW CONSTRUCTION, SO ABOUT 1.7 MILLION FOR, UM, GENERAL FUNDS, 600,000 FOR DEBT SERVICE, AND THEN 541,000 FOR LATERAL ROAD.
AGAIN, OVERALL IT'S A DECREASE BECAUSE OF WHERE, WHEN WE ADJUST FOR LAST YEAR'S, LAST YEAR'S RATE WHERE WE ARE AT.
I KNOW IT'S A LOT OF, LOT OF INFORMATION.
OKAY, I KNOW THAT'S TOO SMALL FOR EVERYONE TO SEE, BUT
SO THIS BIG SPREADSHEET HERE GIVES YOU AN OVERALL PICTURE BY DEPARTMENT, UM, OF EVERYONE'S REQUESTS.
UH, THIS FIRST SECTION IS CAP ON CAP REQUESTS.
AGAIN, IT BREAKS IT OUT BY DEPARTMENT.
SO YOU CAN SEE, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN I HAVE THOSE TOTAL NUMBERS OF IT REQUESTS CAP ON CAP, UM, SALARY REQUEST, YOU CAN SEE BY DEPARTMENT WHAT IS MAKING UP THOSE NUMBERS.
SO THE FIRST SECTION IS CAP ON CAP.
THE SECOND PIECE IS, UM, SALARY REQUESTS.
AND THEN AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S THE BIG YELLOW ON TOP TO SAY THIS IS NOT IN STW, SO IT'S NOT IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
AND THEN THIS LAST SECTION SHOWS PER STW.
SO THAT IS WHAT IS ACTUALLY IN THE BUDGET CURRENTLY.
SO IT'S OUR CURRENT, UM, PERSONNEL AND BENEFIT COSTS AS WELL AS OPERATING EXPENSES.
SO AGAIN, THOSE OPERATING EXPENSES WOULD'VE BEEN ADJUSTED BY THE DEPARTMENTS WHEN THEY ENTERED, UM, THEIR REQUEST
[00:25:01]
FOR THIS YEAR.SO, SO YOU COULD SEE HERE AT THE BOTTOM, UM, THE TOTAL PROPOSED BUDGET IS 73,897,666.
UM, AND SO THAT'S JUST SHOWING, UM, KIND OF THAT BREAKDOWN AGAIN OF THE TOTAL WHAT'S COMING FROM FUND BALANCE.
AND THEN THIS COLUMN HERE IS SHOWING IF ALL THOSE THINGS WERE APPROVED, WHAT WOULD OUR TOTAL BUDGET LOOK LIKE? AGAIN, DOESN'T INCLUDE COLA OR SOME OF THOSE ADJUSTMENTS THAT I TALKED ABOUT, LIKE THE TCR TCRS RATE INCREASE IN LONGEVITY, UM, AND THEN, UH, SHERIFF'S OFFICE, STEP GRADE.
OH, THAT'S A LOT OF INFORMATION TO TAKE IN ALL AT ONCE,
SO IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, UM, JUST JUST LET ME KNOW.
DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA THAT 8% ISH BUDGET THAT WOULD BE PUSHED FORWARD TO 25, WHAT THAT DOLLAR AMOUNT MIGHT BE? APPROXIMATELY IF WHAT? THE 8% OF THE UNUSED, THAT'S THE AVERAGE.
UM, DO YOU KNOW THE DOLLAR AMOUNT? APPROXIMATE? WELL, LET'S SEE.
SO IT LOOKS LIKE A PRETTY, YOU SEE WHAT IT WAS LAST YEAR? 81 AND 73
AND SO RIGHT HERE AGAIN, OKAY,
JUST A, JUST A GUESS OUT THE EXPERIENCE.
SO WE STARTED, UM, AND THIS WAS THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE IS A 37 MILLION.
UM, HERE'S OUR PROJECTED EXPENSES.
AND SO WHAT I DO IS I GO THROUGH KIND OF AT A OBJECT CODE LEVEL, SO ALL YOUR SUPPLIES, ALL YOUR TRAINING ATTORNEY'S FEES, ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND I GO THROUGH AND I KIND OF LOOK AT PRIOR YEARS WHERE WE'RE AT, UM, LOOK AT OUR CURRENT EXPENSES NOW AND JUST KIND OF TRY TO PROJECT THE END OF THE YEAR.
UM, AND THEN I COMPARE THAT TO OUR AVERAGE.
AND SO WHEN I DID IT, I WAS LIKE AT 92.5.
AND SO, AND THEN I DO THE FIVE YEAR AVERAGE.
THAT'S WHAT I APPLY FOR OUR EXPENSES.
AND SO, UM, I'M SHOWING LIKE AN INCREASE IN FUND BALANCE ABOUT 2.7 MILLION.
SO IF EVERYBODY GOT ALL THEIR WANTS VERSUS WHAT'S REALISTIC COLLECTION, THAT'S A PRETTY BIG GAP.
SO I WAS TRYING TO SEE WHAT THAT NUMBER WAS THERE.
7.4 MILLION AND WE HAVE NOT INCLUDED SEVERAL BIG TICKET ITEMS THERE.
YEAH, COLA, UH, SO STEPPING GRADE AND THEN OF COURSE ANY SORT OF, UM, INCREASES IN TCRS RATE WITH OUR CURRENT SALARIES.
AND THEN, UM, LONGEVITY ARE PROBABLY THE BIG, BIG ONES.
YOU HAVE ANY GOOD NEWS,
YES, WE, WE DO HAVE, I MEAN THAT IS THE GOOD THING OF, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE A, UM, HEALTHY, YOU KNOW, FUND BALANCE AND PART OF THAT IS JUST LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, YES, CURRENT YEAR EXPENSES, WHAT WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, DOWN THE LINE AND KIND OF LOOKING AT ALL OF THAT.
SO YES MA'AM, KIND OF FUTURE GROWTH AND EXPENSES THAT WE, WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE EACH YEAR.
AND THAT, AND THAT'S ONE THING THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR, UM, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE SAYING, OKAY, OPERATING EXPENSES, THOSE ARE YOUR, YOU KNOW, YOUR RECURRING EXPENSES, WELL, IF WE LOOK REALLY KIND OF OUR CAP ON CAP HAVE BECOME THAT MM-HMM,
BUT REALLY JUST ON THE KIND OF REPLACEMENT OF WHATEVER IT IS, IT SEEMS, YOU KNOW, EVERY SINGLE YEAR WE HAVE, UM, A LARGE REQUEST FOR THOSE ITEMS. SO THEY DO REALLY KIND OF BECOME PART OF YOUR OPERATING EXPENDITURES.
I MEAN, SOMETHING THAT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, CUT IF YOU NEEDED TO, IF YOU KNOW THE COUNTY, HOPEFULLY WE WON'T BE IN THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, PREDICAMENT WHERE YOU WOULD HAVE TO, BUT VERSUS SOMETHING WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T NECESSARILY CUT OR IT WOULD, YOU KNOW, HINDER YOUR OPERATIONS A LOT MORE IF YOU'RE HAVING TO CUT OTHER ITEMS. THANK YOU.
SO BRIANNA, WHAT YOU BASICALLY JUST COVERED IS UNDER ITEM A AND B AND B.
SO THAT TAKES US TO, IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON
[00:30:01]
THIS? I GUESS WE, BRIANNA'S ALREADY SET DOWN, BUT I THINK, I THINK THERE'S A THOROUGH COVERAGE.THANK YOU BRIANNA, FOR DOING THAT.
[I.C. Texas County and District Retirement System (TCDRS). (Becky McCullough / Judge Deen)]
WHAT TAKES US TO SEE ON THE TEXAS COUNTY AND DISTRICT RETIREMENT SYSTEMS, T-C-D-R-S, BECKY, VERY MOTIVATED LOOKING.YEAH, THAT WAS UPLIFTING INFORMATION.
I'M GETTING A TEXT THAT THAT MIC ISN'T ON.
CAN YOU MAKE SURE THE MIC'S ON? NO, IT'S, IT'S ON.
YOU JUST HAVE TO SPEAK DIRECTLY INTO IT.
UM, ALRIGHT, SO OUR CURRENT RATE IS 13.31 AND 0.2 6.26 IS FOR THE GROUP TERM LIFE PLAN.
THAT IS A ONE YEAR ANNUAL SALARY BUILT INTO YOUR RETIREMENT PLAN.
SO IF AN EMPLOYEE WAS TO PASS AWAY WHILE THEY'RE AN ACTIVE EMPLOYEE, THEN THEY WOULD GET A ONE YEAR ANNUAL SALARY.
IF THEY RETIRE, THAT LIFE INSURANCE POLICY GOES DOWN TO $5,000.
SO THAT'S WHAT THAT 0.26 IS FOR THE 13.31, THAT'S ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN WHAT WAS REQUIRED OF US FOR FISCAL FOR 24.
WE DID ELECT TO JUST KEEP OUR RATE THE SAME INSTEAD OF LOWERING IT LAST YEAR.
SO WHENEVER, SO, UH, PUT THOSE TWO NUMBERS OUT THERE.
SO PROJECTED, IF WE WERE JUST TO KEEP THAT SAME RATE, UM, WE'RE GONNA SPEND ABOUT THREE POINT A LITTLE OVER $3.9 MILLION AND THIS IS FUND 10 THAT WE'RE GONNA SPEND IN FISCAL 24.
OKAY, SO NOW LET'S LOOK TO FISCAL 25, WHAT THEY REQUIRED.
SO BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN PAYING MORE THAN WHAT'S BEEN REQUIRED OF US AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THOSE LUMP SUM PAYMENTS, OUR ACTUAL REQUIRED RATE CAME DOWN TO 12.32 AND THE LIFE RATE CAME DOWN TO 0.23.
SO IF WE WERE JUST TO GO WITH WHAT IS REQUIRED OF US TO PAY, WE WOULD ACTUALLY SEE A REDUCTION IN ALMOST $300,000.
SO THAT'S SOME GOOD NOTE NEWS, RIGHT FOLLOWING BRIANNA.
BUT, UM, AFTER A CONVERSATION WITH COMMISSIONER HALE, WE KIND OF WERE TALKING ABOUT, 'CAUSE WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET CLOSER TO THAT A HUNDRED PERCENT FUNDED WITH T-C-D-R-S BECAUSE BACK IN LIKE 2007, 2008, 2009, THE COUNTY WAS PASSING RETIREE KOHL RAISES EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
THAT IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE TO DO AND IT TAKES ABOUT 15 YEARS TO PAY 'EM OFF.
WE JUST NOW PAID OFF THE LAST KOHLER RAISE, BUT IF WE CAN EVER GET TO A HUNDRED PERCENT FUNDED OR OVER, THEN WE CAN ACTUALLY FUND RETIREE KOHLER RAISES WITH OUR OWN MONEY.
SO HOW DO YOU GET THERE BY YOU OVERFUND YOUR CONTRIBUTION RATE.
AND FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, I'VE ASKED COURT TO DO A LUMP SUM PAYMENT OF WHAT WAS LEFT IN RETIREE LINES FROM THAT FISCAL YEAR, BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT OUTSIDE AUDITORS LOOK AT.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BOND RATINGS FOR, FOR, YOU KNOW, TRANSPORTATION BONDS IN THE FUTURE, THESE ARE THINGS THAT THEY LOOK AT WHAT IS OUR UNFUNDED LIABILITY IN RETIREMENT.
SO I KIND OF PLAYED WITH SOME NUMBERS.
SO IF WE WERE TO ELECT A 13.39 REQUIRE RATE AND THE 0.23 LIFE RATE, AND FOR THE RECORD YOU HAVE TO DO WHATEVER THEY WANT FOR LIFE, WE DON'T GET AN OPTION TO CHANGE THAT, THEN IT WOULD COST AGAIN BEFORE ANY NEW EMPLOYEES, ANY NEW RAISES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
MY ESTIMATE IS IT'S, WE'RE GONNA SPEND ABOUT $11,000 MORE IN FISCAL 25 THAN WE ARE IN FISCAL 24.
SO, BUT THAT'S STILL QUITE A BIT OVER FUNDING FROM WHAT'S REQUIRED OF US.
AND THEN I DID PUT IN OPTION TWO IF WE WERE TO GO TO 13 AND A HALF OR OPTION THREE TO GO TO 14.
UM, ALSO LISTED DOWN AT THE BOTTOM ARE FUNDED RATIOS PER YEAR.
SO FOR FISCAL 23 WE'RE SITTING AT 85.70.
SO YOU CAN SEE WE ARE MAKING SOME HEADWAY.
WE'RE, YOU KNOW, SLOWLY GETTING THERE.
IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN OVERNIGHT, BUT WE HAVE BEEN PUTTING SOME THINGS IN PLACE TO TRY TO GET THERE.
UH, THE PAGES BEHIND THIS INFORMATION, IT'S JUST THE BACKUP TO SHOW I DON'T MAKE THESE NUMBERS UP.
THESE COME FROM T-C-D-R-S, SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT THE REQUIRED RATE ACTUALLY IS.
IT DOES HAVE OUR ELECTED RATES IN THERE OF WHAT WE CURRENTLY PAY, AND THEN AGAIN, THE GROUP TERM LIFE OF 0.23.
AND THEN THE NEXT PAGE IS THE ASSET AND LIABILITY PROJECTION.
SO WHENEVER THEY'RE FIGURING YOUR RATES, T-C-D-R-S BUILDS IT IN TO WHERE YOU'RE GONNA BE A HUNDRED PERCENT FUNDED IN 20 YEARS.
SO BY DOING WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING, OUR, WE ARE LOOKING TO BE A HUNDRED PERCENT FUNDED AT 2038.
SO WE ARE WELL UNDER THE 20 YEARS.
SO JUST KIND OF SHOW WE'RE WE'RE DOING THE RIGHT THINGS, WE'RE ON THE RIGHT PATH, WE'RE JUST NOT THERE YET.
[00:35:02]
SO THE BEST PLAN, IT'S PROBABLY TO CONTINUE WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING.COMMISSIONER HALE, IN MY OPINION, I DON'T THINK IT'S GOOD FOR US TO HAVE TO TAKE A LOAN BASICALLY TO FRONT MM-HMM
I THINK THAT THE NUMBERS THAT SHE, THAT SHE RAN, IT'S ALMOST LIKE A NET.
I MEAN, $11,000 ON THE DOLLAR AMOUNT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS A LOW, LOW, LOW PERCENTAGE.
SO, YOU KNOW, IN MY OPINION, I THINK THINK IT'S FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE TO, TO FUND THAT.
RIGHT? TO TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM HAVING TO BORROW.
AND, AND THESE RATES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, I MEAN THIS IS JUST FOR OUR ACTIVE EMPLOYEES.
I'LL PRESENT IN JUST A MINUTE WHAT IT WOULD COST TO DO A COLA RETIREE, BUT ARE YOU MAY WANNA MAKE A MOTION? NOT REALLY, NO.
UM, FOR KOHLER RETIREE RAISES, IT'S GONNA BE THE PAGE RIGHT PAST ALL OF THE, UM, LIKE PROJECTIONS OF 20 YEAR FUNDS OR THE 20 YEAR PROJECTIONS.
SO 2025 COLA ESTIMATES FOR T-C-D-R-S RETIREES.
SO A 1% PRE-FUNDED COLA YOU CAN SEE IS ALMOST $700,000.
I DID A, I FIGURED ON A 2% PRE-FUNDED COLA, 3% PRE-FUNDED COLA.
SO THIS WOULD MEAN WE WOULD LITERALLY HAVE TO CUT A CHECK TO T-C-D-R-S FOR THESE AMOUNTS.
IT'S NOT GONNA AFFECT OUR RATES.
DID WE DO THIS LAST YEAR? NO, WE DID NOT.
WAIT, IT'S NOT BEEN DONE SINCE 2009.
THIS IS TO WHERE OUR RETIREES WOULD GET A RAISE.
THIS IS THE PART I'M TALKING ABOUT.
THE OTHER PART IS THE RATE THAT WE HAVE TO PAY INTO T-C-D-R-S FOR OUR ACTIVE EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT.
AGAIN, THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE JUST BACKUP FOR WHERE THESE NUMBERS COME FROM.
UM, THE LAST PART OF THIS, THERE'S SOME BLUE ON HERE.
THIS IS JUST KIND OF A HISTORY OF T-C-D-R-S-I THOUGHT WOULD BE INTERESTING AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, PARKER COUNTY'S JOURNEY WITH THEM.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN LOOK IN HERE TO SEE, THERE WAS A, THERE WAS A TIME THAT RIGHT NOW WE DO A 200% MATCH.
THERE WAS A TIME THERE WAS A 240% MATCH.
THERE WAS A TIME THERE WAS 160% MATCH.
SO I JUST THOUGHT THIS WAS GOOD INFORMATION.
SO YOU COULD KIND OF DO A LOOK BACK TO SEE OF PARKER COUNTY'S HISTORY WITH T-C-D-R-S.
HOW LONG AGO DID THEY CHANGE TO THE CURRENT RATE? UM, IT WENT TO 200% IN 2012.
IT WAS ACTUALLY REDUCED FROM TWO 40 AND WENT TO 200%.
AND THEN IT ALSO HAS THOSE COLAS BUILT IN.
SO YOU CAN SEE WHEN ALL OF THAT HAPPENED.
SO ACTIVE MEDICAL, DO YOU WANT US TO GRILL YOU A LOT MORE? I MEAN, YOU'RE DOING SUCH A GREAT JOB AT CC DS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO, I MEAN, WE HAVE TO, I MEAN, WE CAN ASK SOME NITPICKY QUESTIONS IF YOU WANT GO FOR, BUT I MEAN, T-C-D-R-S IS ONE OF THOSE THAT WE DO HAVE TO CHOOSE A RATE.
SO I UNDERSTAND I DON'T NEED IT TODAY.
INSURANCE IS GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, BUT THIS SHOULD BE EASY.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO DO.
AND SO WHENEVER WE ARE PROJECTING NEW EMPLOYEES, WHATEVER TCDR RATE IS GONNA, YOU KNOW, AFFECT THAT TOTAL COST.
SO WE, WE'RE NOT GONNA GET ANY MORE INFORMATION ON THIS.
SO WE, WE, WE NEED TO MAKE THAT DECISION TODAY OR I KNOW WE TEND TO HEAR, DIGEST IT AND THEN COME BACK AND MAKE DECISIONS AND DO IT IN A VACUUM.
WELL, I'M SAYING A VACUUM, DO IT, MAKE DECISIONS BACK TO BACK, TO BACK TO BACK.
BUT THIS IS ONE OF THOSE THAT I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT HERE BECAUSE SOME OF THIS IS, WE GOT THE INFORMATION WE NEED TO MAKE DECISIONS.
I JUST DON'T WANNA HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE 11TH HOUR AGAIN.
SO THE SITUATION DOESN'T, YOU'RE, YOU'RE CORRECT.
THE SITUATION IS FOR $700,000, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GIVE A 1% INCREASE, COLA INCREASE TO OUR RETIREES, WHICH IN MOST CASES WOULD AMOUNT TO OH, AN EXTREMELY SMALL AMOUNT.
AND, UH, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO ANYWHERE.
UH, $2 MILLION WOULD BUY 3%, RIGHT? YEAH.
THE RETIREE COLA PART, THAT'S, I GET IT.
THE REASON THAT I'M BRINGING THIS UP IS BECAUSE WE GET ASKED BY RETIREES, WHY, WHEN ARE YOU GONNA GIVE US THIS? WELL, HERE'S THE, HERE'S THE FACTS IN BLACK AND WHITE, AND THE ANSWER IS THAT WE
[00:40:01]
CAN'T AFFORD IT.RIGHT? I, I AGREE AND I APPRECIATE THE COURT THE LAST FEW YEARS, YOU KNOW, TRYING, YOU KNOW, OVERFUNDING AND SENDING THOSE LUMP SUMS FOR SOMEDAY TO SOMEDAY GET TO THOSE RETIREE COLAS.
RIGHT? BUT AGAIN, I ALWAYS SAY, YOU KNOW, WE'VE YET TO HAVE THAT YEAR WHERE THERE'S JUST ALL THIS MONEY LAYING AROUND THAT WE'RE LIKE, OH GOODNESS, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO WITH IT? YOU KNOW, THAT JUST HASN'T HAPPENED YET.
BUT, UH, AND THERE IS AN OPTION IN THERE TO LOWER THE RATE, WHICH COULD BE A SAVING.
THIS ONE I DON'T HAVE TO HAVE TODAY, BUT INSURANCE WE DO.
I JUST WANT TO JUST FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION, ADD TO YOUR POINT, COMMISSIONER THAT, UM, ONE, NOT NO ONE HAS RETIREMENT PLANS.
NOW WE HAVE GOVERNMENTAL DOES MM-HMM,
UM, AND THEY'RE GETTING A HEALTHY RETIREMENT.
ALTHOUGH WE HAVEN'T DONE THIS SINCE WHAT YOU SAID, 2009 UHHUH
UM, IT'S ONE OF THESE THINGS THAT IF YOU DO A 1% AND IT'S WHAT, 700,000 MM-HMM.
THE IMPACT TO US RIGHT NOW WITH WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH, AND WE, A LOT OF THINGS WE'VE TALK ABOUT, BUT I DO THINK THAT THE BENEFIT OF HAVING THAT RETIREMENT PLAN, UH, AND AND I I MAY THINK DIFFERENTLY IF I'M A RETIREE, BUT, UH, I THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE.
I MEAN, WOULD THEY HAVE A RETIREMENT PLAN? I, I'M JUST NOT SURE THAT AT THIS POINT IN TIME, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT NEEDS TO BE, AND I WOULDN'T BE NOT BE PREPARED TO MAKE A DECISION TODAY ON THAT AS WELL.
[I.D. Active Employee Insurance Rates. (Becky McCullough / Judge Deen)]
RIGHT, LET'S MOVE ON TO INSURANCE.SO OBVIOUSLY THE BIG DEAL WITH INSURANCE THIS YEAR IS WE ARE SWITCHING TO BLUE CROSS CROSS BLUE SHIELD.
SO WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS ALL YEAR.
WE WILL HAVE EXTENDED ENROLLMENT THIS YEAR.
WE WILL HAVE ENROLLMENT MEETINGS AROUND THE COUNTY.
UH, I HOPE TO HAVE BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD WITH ME AT A LOT OF THOSE MEETINGS, UM, TO HELP, YOU KNOW, EMPLOYEES UNDERSTAND IT'S AS APPLES TO APPLES AS IT CAN POSSIBLY BE JUST A PROVIDER CHANGE.
BUT YOU KNOW, THERE WILL BE A NEW WELLNESS PROGRAM AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO I'M NOT GONNA SAY THERE'S NOT GONNA BE ANY HICCUPS, THERE'S NOT GONNA BE ANY HURDLES, BUT WE'RE GONNA GET THROUGH IT TOGETHER AND I'M ACTUALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE CHANGE.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, I AM NOT ASKING FOR ANY INCREASES TO THE, UM, EMPLOYEE PREMIUM DEDUCTIONS OR THE EMPLOYER SIDE, UH, CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE INSURANCE RATES.
YOU NEED A MOTION, PLEASE?
MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER HALE.
UM, COMMISSIONER CONLEY'S MADE THE SECOND.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM BEFORE WE VOTE? ALL IN FAVOR, JUST TO COMMENT AFTERWARDS.
UH, THE, UH, IN MANY COUNTIES AND IN THIS COUNTY, THE PRIOR TIMES HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES.
AND BECAUSE WE'RE A MEMBER OF THIS, OF THIS GROUP, IT'S NOT, AND, UH, I APPRECIATE THOSE THAT CAME BEFORE US HAVING THE FORESIGHT TO GET US INCLUDED IN THE, IN THE GROUP THAT WE'RE IN.
'CAUSE IT SOLVES A LOT OF OUR PROBLEMS. UH, I'LL SECOND THAT.
YEAH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? YEAH, IT'S BEEN GREAT.
JUST SO, AGAIN, SO Y'ALL KNOW, I DID PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION BEHIND MY RATE SHEET THAT SHOWS I DIDN'T JUST MAKE THESE NUMBERS UP.
WE DO HAVE A CONSULTANT THAT WORKS WITH US.
UM, INITIALLY THEY DID KIND OF WANT US TO FUND ABOUT $600,000 BACK INTO THE PLAN, BUT WHENEVER WE LOOK AT OUR FUND BALANCE, WHEN WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH INTEREST THAT WE'RE EARNING IN INSURANCE ESCROW AND OTHER THINGS, THE SWITCH TO BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD ANTICIPATED SAVINGS, WE CLICK QUICKLY.
WERE ABLE TO, TO GET THAT ZEROED OUT TO WHERE WE FELT LIKE WE, WE WERE GOOD TO GO.
AND THAT'S EVEN AFTER COMING OFF OF A, OF NOT A GREAT CLAIMS YEAR LAST YEAR.
SO WORDING FOR THAT MOTION, THE MOTION CARRIES RIGHT? JUST NO INCREASE TO CONTINUE RATES FROM 2024.
[I.E. Health Insurance for Retirees. (Becky McCullough / Judge Deen)]
TAB IS RETIREE MEDICAL.SO BECAUSE THERE'S NO CHANGE TO ACTIVE EMPLOYEE RATES, THEN THERE'S NO CHANGE TO RETIREE MEDICAL RATES AS, AS WELL, THAT'S THEY COME OFF OF EACH OTHER.
UM, SO I HAVE PRESENTED, THIS IS BASICALLY THE POLICY AND THE RATE SHEET FOR RETIREES.
NOW, CURRENTLY FOR SOMEONE WHO IS PRE 65, THE COUNTY AND THEY HAVE 30 YEARS OF SERVICE, THE COUNTY WILL PAY 50% OF THE EMPLOYEE'S PREMIUM.
AND THEN THE, THE RETIREE PAYS THE OTHER 50%.
I AM GONNA ASK THE COURT TO CONSIDER TO TAKE IT FROM 30 YEARS TO 25 YEARS.
UM, I'M NOT ASKING FOR ANY MORE PREMIUM HELP OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
WHAT WE ALREADY BUDGET IN OUR RETIREE BUDGET WOULD OFFSET, UM, THE PREMIUM.
AND THAT'S IF ALL 17 RETIRED, DO I THINK ALL 17 WILL DO IT? NO, BECAUSE AGAIN, THE SAVINGS IS ONLY ON THE EMPLOYEE PORTION.
SO IF THEY STILL HAVE A, A SPOUSE ON A PLAN, A DEPENDENT ON THE PLAN, THEY'RE STILL GONNA PAY A HUNDRED PERCENT FOR THOSE, UM, DEPENDENTS ON THE PLAN.
[00:45:01]
ALL 17 TOOK IT, I ESTIMATE IT'D BE ABOUT ANOTHER $146,000 A YEAR THAT WE'D PAY IN PREMIUM.AGAIN, WE ALREADY BUDGET FOR THOSE NUMBERS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE THING IS THAT WE ARE GONNA BE PAYING THEIR CLAIMS. SO THAT IS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE SCARY PART OF IT.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE, I BELIEVE, FOUR EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE TAKEN PRE 65 RETIREE INSURANCE.
UH, KNOCK ON WOOD, WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY MAJOR ISSUES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
SO JUST A CONSIDERATION, THERE'S NO RATE CHANGE.
IT'S JUST CHANGING POLICY FROM 30 YEARS TO 25 YEARS.
AND SO THE, THE BENEFIT TO THE COUNTY OF THAT IS THERE MIGHT BE SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE JUST HANGING ON ABSOLUTELY.
THAT ARE NOT RETIRING BECAUSE OF INSURANCE AND YEP.
HAVE 25 OR 25, RIGHT BETWEEN 25 AND 30 YEARS, THAT MIGHT, MIGHT BE RETIRING IF THEY COULD HAVE INSURANCE AVAILABLE TO THEM.
YOU KNOW, SO MANY TIMES WE WILL VISIT WITH EMPLOYEES THAT THEY'LL HAVE US RUN THEIR RETIREMENT AND THEY'LL REALIZE THEY'D ACTUALLY BE GETTING A RAISE IF THEY RETIRED THAT HAVE BEEN HERE.
BUT IT'S THE INSURANCE PORTION OF IT THAT, YOU KNOW, MAKES 'EM NOT DO IT.
SO, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
WE ALREADY OFFER IT FOR 30 AND WE HAVE SEVERAL EMPLOYEES THAT QUALIFY FOR 30 AND THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE STILL HERE AS WELL.
SO AGAIN, THEY HAVE TO LOOK AT THEIR OWN PERSONAL SITUATION, BUT IT'S JUST, IT'S SOMETHING I GET ASKED ABOUT A LOT AND IT WAS ALWAYS KIND OF MY INTENT TO TRY TO GET IT TO 25.
BUT I ALWAYS TRY TO LOOK AT THE PLAN YEAR AND WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH RATES AND WHAT DOES FUND BALANCE LOOK LIKE? 'CAUSE I WANT IT TO STICK AROUND.
THE LAST THING THAT YOU WANT IS TO BE LIKE, OH NOPE, NEXT YEAR WE CAN'T AFFORD THIS ANYMORE.
SO TRY TO, AND THAT'S WHAT WE DIPPED OUR TOE IN THE WATER AND JUST SLOWLY KIND OF GETTING THERE.
SO I THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE A YEAR TO ASK FOR THE 25 YEARS I MOVE.
THE MOTION HAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER CONLEY, UH, WITH A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER, UH, WALDEN.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM BEFORE WE VOTE? ALL IN FAVOR PASS.
UM, THE NEXT PA THE NEXT RATE SHEET BEHIND THAT IS JUST AGAIN, JUST TO, TO SHOW WHAT THE RATES ARE.
IF AN EMPLOYEE IS, HAS, SAY THEY HAVE 20 YEARS OF SERVICE AND THEY WANNA RETIRE, BUT YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE NOT GONNA MEET THAT 25 YEARS.
THEY CAN STILL HAVE THE INSURANCE BY POLICY, BUT THIS IS WHAT THEIR RATES ARE.
SO YOU CAN SEE THEY'RE STILL PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL RATES.
SO WE DON'T REALLY SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE, UM, TAKE PART OF THIS UNLESS MAYBE IT'S JUST FOR A TEMPORARY PERIOD, YOU KNOW, UNTIL THEY GET SOMETHING ELSE IN LINE.
NOW THIS NEXT PART OF RETIREE INSURANCE IS POST 65.
SO THE WAY IT WORKS NOW IS EMPLOYEES THAT ARE ALREADY 65 YEARS OLD OR OLDER AND THEY HAVE 10 YEARS OF SERVICE TO PARKER COUNTY.
WE HAVE A SUPPLEMENT THIS YEAR WE DID A LOT OF RFPS FOR INSURANCE.
SO PART OF IT OBVIOUSLY WAS OUR RETIREE INSURANCE.
SO AS ACTIVE EMPLOYEES ARE CHANGING TO BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD, SO ARE RETIREE COVERAGE GOING TO BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD.
SO CURRENTLY WE PAY 50 PER 50% OF THE POST 65 PREMIUM FOR THE RETIREE ONLY.
SO RIGHT NOW WE PAY ABOUT $225 AND 51 CENTS FOR EVERY RETIREE POST 65 THAT HAVE RETIRED.
I BELIEVE WE CURRENTLY HAVE 13 PEOPLE THAT ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS PLAN, BUT WITH THE NEW RATE, BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD, AND AGAIN, IT'S AN APPLES TO APPLE SUPPLEMENTS, THEIR PRICE CAME IN AT ABOUT HALF.
SO WE CAN KEEP IT AT THE 50 50 SPLIT OR WE COULD ACTUALLY OFFER TO COVER THIS AT A HUNDRED PERCENT FOR POST 65 RETIREES.
AND WE WOULD SPEND ABOUT $3,000 MORE THAN WE SPEND ALREADY.
THIS COULD BE ANOTHER BIG HELP TO SOMEONE WHO'S ALREADY 65 THINKING ABOUT RETIRING.
UM, TO HAVE THE SUPPLEMENT, YOU ALSO OBVIOUSLY HAVE TO RETIRE.
YOU HAVE TO BE ON MEDICARE PART A AND B, AND THEN THE EMPLOYEE DOES THEIR RESEARCH, MAKES THEIR DECISIONS.
MAYBE THEY WANNA DO EVERYTHING THROUGH MEDICARE, MAYBE THEY WANNA DO A SUPPLEMENT ON THEIR OWN OR MAYBE THEY WANNA USE OUR SUPPLEMENT.
AND I WILL SAY THE SUPPLEMENT WE HAVE IS A GREAT PLAN.
UM, AGAIN, KNOCK ON WOOD, I'VE YET TO HAVE A POST 65 RETIREE COME BACK AND NOT LIKE IT.
WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER WALDEN, A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER.
HELL THAT WE'RE IN THE DISCUSSION PHASE.
UM, SO I'M, I WANNA INTERRUPT YOU.
UM, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO ADD TO THAT? NOPE.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION FROM THE COMMISSIONERS BEFORE WE VOTE ON THIS? SO TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS TO GO TO A HUNDRED PERCENT.
ON THE ITEM, NOT THIS ONE, BUT THE ONE BEFORE.
OH, IS THAT A POLICY CHANGE THAT'S EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY OR IS THERE A POLICY CHANGE? OH, THANK YOU.
JANUARY ONE EFFECTIVE JANUARY ONE.
[00:50:01]
YEAH, OUR INSURANCE IS CALENDAR YEAR, NOT FISCAL YEAR.THANK YOU FOR CLEARING THAT, COMMISSIONER.
AND AGAIN, THE INFORMATION BEHIND THE RATE SHEETS IS JUST THE BACKUP TO SHOW I DIDN'T JUST MAKE IT UP AND THE MOTION WE JUST DID, UH, CARRIES FIVE.
[I.F. Longevity Pay. (Becky McCullough / Judge Deen)]
OUR NEXT SECTION IS GONNA BE LONGEVITY.SO IN HERE THIS IS, THIS IS MORE GOOD NEWS.
UM, SO FOR FISCAL 24, WE PAID OUT OR 290, A LITTLE OVER $295,000.
SO WHAT IS IN THE FISCAL 25 JUDGE'S PROPOSED BUDGET IS $295,050.
SO WE RUN LONGEVITY A FEW TIMES DURING THE YEAR FOR BUDGETING PURPOSES WHEN WE'RE DOING PROJECTIONS.
SO WHEN WE RAN THIS EARLIER THIS YEAR, UM, IT WAS $295,500.
SO WE'VE HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE RETIRE OR LEAVE THAT WERE SOME LONG TENURED EMPLOYEES.
SO WE'RE SEEING OUR LONGEVITY NUMBERS COME AT, COME DOWN.
SO FOR LONGEVITY TO INPUT THE CURRENT POLICY AT THE CURRENT RATES, WE WERE ONLY LOOKING AT A $450 INCREASE THAT WHAT'S ALREADY IN JUDGES PROPOSED WHEN WE JUST RAN THE REPORT AGAIN LAST WEEK, IT'S NEGATIVE $1,125.
SO IT'S ACTUALLY GONNA DECREASE THE LONGEVITY LINES THAT'S IN THE JUDGE'S PROPOSED BUDGET.
AND I PROMISE YOU WHEN WE RERUN IT AGAIN BEFORE WE INPUT, THAT'S GONNA GO DOWN EVEN MORE.
DO YOU NEED A MOTION ON THAT OR IS THAT JUST INFORMATION ONLY? YEAH, JUST A MOTION THAT WE'RE JUST GONNA APPROVE LONGEVITY FOR FISCAL 25 AS IS, AS IS MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER HOLT, A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER WALDEN.
ANY OF THE DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM.
I ALSO PROVIDED Y'ALL A COPY OF THE POLICY AS WELL AS THE BREAKDOWN PER DEPARTMENT, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, AND ALSO A COPY OF THE FIRST REPORT THAT WE RAN THIS YEAR.
ALRIGHT, SO NEXT WE HAVE THE SALARY SCHEDULE AND POLICY.
SO BACK IN 2022, I BELIEVE, UH, WE MOVED AWAY FROM A TYPICAL STEPPING GRADE AND MOVED TO THE MID MINIMUM MID MAX FOR, FOR POSITIONS TO REALLY TRY TO PUT A MAXIMUM AMOUNT ON A JOB.
UM, I HAVE NOT ROLLED THESE NUMBERS SINCE THEN.
SO SINCE THEN THERE WAS A 10% COLA GIVEN AND A 3% COLA GIVEN.
SO, UH, I JUST KIND OF WANNA PUT THAT OUT THERE THAT THESE HAVEN'T CHANGED IN A FEW YEARS.
YOU CAN INSTRUCT ME TO ROLL IT.
MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING WE GO, YOU KNOW, AFTER WE GO THROUGH NEW POSITIONS OR COLAS OR SOMETHING THAT WE TAKE A LOOK AT.
I HAVE MADE A NOTE IN THESE BINDERS, SOME OF THESE THAT I WOULD CLASSIFY AS A MAX OUT POSITION.
UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THIS SOUNDS HARSH, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO REQUIREMENT TO GIVE A COLA EVERY YEAR.
THERE'S NO LAW THAT THAT HAS TO HAPPEN.
THERE CAN BE A MAX OUT VALUE FOR A POSITION.
UH, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU COULDN'T DO FOR SOMEONE WHO IS MAXED OUT, WE COULDN'T PROVIDE LIKE A, A LOYALTY PAYMENT OR SOMETHING TO GIVE, YOU KNOW, TO GIVE 'EM SOMETHING, BUT IT'S NOT ADDED TO THE BUDGET EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
WE'VE UH, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT AND WHEN YOU, IT'S IN, IN THE FORM OF A BONUS TOP THING, ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT CALLED A BONUS, DON'T CALL A BONUS.
I'M, I'M REFERRING TO IT JUST FROM THE STANDPOINT THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
AND SO THE ISSUE WITH THAT IS THAT WHAT I SEE A COLA AS IS A RECURRING, A RECURRING IMPACT TO YOUR SALARY OR YOUR REVENUE.
THAT OFFSETS WHAT THE INFLATION RATE'S GONNA BE OR COULD BE IN THE FUTURE, RIGHT? THAT BY DOING THAT, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD.
IT ALLOWS YOU TO, UH, COME UP TO WHAT THE INFLATION RATE IS FOR THAT YEAR AND OFFSET THAT.
BUT THEN THE COMING YEAR, THEN YOU'RE BACK TO GROUND ZERO AND YOU'RE BACK WHERE YOU WERE.
UH, I THINK IF YOU'RE GONNA GIVE A RAISE AND, AND, AND THAT'S WHAT WE AGREED TO, UH, I THINK THAT WE, I I JUST, I THINK THAT YOU, YOU LOOK AT WHAT THE INFLATION INDEX IS AND YOU LOOK AT WHAT THE IMPACT IS AND IN, IN THE, UH, THE LATTER YEARS, I THINK WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB WITH THAT.
I THINK WHAT HAPPENS IS WHEN YOU GET YOURSELF IN TROUBLE IS THAT YOU STOP GIVING
YOU START LOSING PEOPLE, OBVIOUSLY WITH THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT WE'VE SEEN THAT, BUT ALSO WITH, WITH PEOPLE.
AND I THINK THE COUNTY OR WHO WE ARE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT REPRESENT THE COUNTY.
AND I THINK TO KEEP GOOD PEOPLE, I THINK YOU NEED A CALL AND LOOKING AT THE INDEX, IT DOES RANGE ANYWHERE.
WE HAVE A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON, BUT AROUND A THREE OR 4% IS WHAT I'M SEEING AND LOOKING AT THAT.
AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO JUST FROM, FROM MY STANDPOINT TO LOOK AT A COLON, NOT A ONETIME PAYMENT.
AND, AND SO I'M JUST SAYING THAT I'M JUST THROWING IT OUT THERE FOR DISCUSSION.
AND I DON'T MEAN THAT, THAT I'M AGAINST COLAS BY ANY MEANS.
I'M, YOU'RE GIVING US INFORMATION'S GOING THAT'S, THAT'S HELPFUL.
THAT, THAT IT'S NOT COMING ACROSS ANY OTHER WAY.
BECKY? SO I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
[00:55:01]
I'M JUST GIVING MY PERSPECTIVE ON IF YOU'RE GONNA DO THIS, LET THIS BENEFIT THEM IN THE COMING YEARS OF THE INFLATION INDEX, WHAT THEY'RE GONNA BE IMPACTED BY AND THEIR, AND THEIR BUYING POWER, THE PURCHASING POWER.JUDGE, IF I MAY, WE HAVE SOME FANTASTIC EMPLOYEES HERE AT THE COUNTY.
NOT ALL OF THOSE EMPLOYEES ARE, ARE, UM, AT THE HIGHER ECHELONS OF THEIR PAY TIER.
ONE THING I'D LIKE THIS COURT TO CONSIDER TO CONSIDER, I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD MAKE A DECISION TODAY, BY THE WAY.
I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD THINK ON A LITTLE BIT.
IS THAT ONE I AGREE COMPLETELY.
IS THERE AN ABILITY TO TIER OR STRUCTURE COLAS IN A WAY THAT ACCOUNTS MORE FOR GROCERIES FOR FOLKS WHO ARE, UM, STRUGGLING AT THE LOWER END OF THE PAY SCALE? SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO'S MAKING OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS VERSUS SOMEONE WHO'S MAKING $60,000, WE'VE ALL SEEN WHAT, WHAT'S HAPPENED IN THE GROCERY STORE OVER THE PAST YEAR.
IT IS ABSOLUTELY BAT NUT INSANE.
I THINK WE COULD ALL USE SOME MEAN TWEETS RIGHT ABOUT NOW WITH FOUR YEARS AGO GROCERY PRICES, BUT THAT IMPACTS OUR LOWER PAID FOLKS MORE ON A BUDGETARY STANDPOINT THAT IT IMPACTS OUR HIGHER PAID FOLKS.
SO I'D LIKE THE COURT TO CONSIDER IF WE DO SOME TYPE OF PERCENTAGE ADJUSTMENT, CAN WE STRUCTURE THAT ADJUSTMENT SO THAT THE LOWER PAID FOLKS GET A HIGHER PERCENTAGE TO HELP OFFSET THOSE BUDGETARY EXPENSES VERSUS THE HIGHER PAID FOLKS.
LIKE I'LL JUST CALL A SPADE A SPADE.
I DON'T THINK I AS A COMMISSIONER NECESSARILY NEED TO GET AS HIGH OF A COLA AS SOMEONE WHOSE PERCENTAGE OF THEIR HOUSEHOLD BUDGET GROCERIES IS A HECK OF A LOT MORE FOR SOMEONE WHO'S PAID $45,000, $50,000 THAN FOR ME.
SO I DON'T THINK A COLA MAKES AS MUCH SENSE AT THE SAME PERCENTAGE FOR ME AS IT DOES FOR THEM.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S MY OPINION.
I'D LIKE US TO THINK ABOUT THAT.
ANYTHING ELSE? AND THAT'S, YEAH, I MEAN AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK AT.
YOU KNOW, I THINK I SENT YOU SOME INFORMATION WHERE I TAKE, YOU KNOW, I TAKE A SPREADSHEET, I TAKE ALL THE EMPLOYEES SALARIES AND WE CAN EASILY SORT THAT TO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU MAKE UNDER $50,000 AT A 5%, WHAT WOULD THAT BE? YOU KNOW, 50 TO 75 OR UNDER 75 OR OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SOME SORT OF TIERED THING TO KIND OF, TO LOOK AT JUST MAYBE SOME DIRECTION FROM Y'ALL OR WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
AND BECKY, I'D LIKE TO WORK WITH YOU ON THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
YOU DID SEND ME THAT AND I APPRECIATE IT.
MAYBE WE CAN, UH, HAVE SOMETHING, NOT NECESSARILY BY THURSDAY, BUT FOR THE NEXT TIME WE CIRCLE BACK AND DO BUDDY.
THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT I DO WANNA POINT OUT, 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, I KNOW SB 22 IS STILL AROUND FOR FISCAL 25 WHENEVER THIS SALARY SCHEDULE WAS PUT TOGETHER, THIS IS COUNTY PAY DOLLARS.
THIS DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH ANY SUPPLEMENTS THAT COME IN.
SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE NEED TO BE VERY CLEAR WHENEVER WE'RE DOING A COLA, UM, YOU KNOW THAT IT IS ONLY TO THE COUNTY SALARY, NOT ANY SORT OF SUPPLEMENT OR DO WE WANT TO KIND OF LOOK AT SUPPLEMENTS, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS THIS PAY SCALE AS WELL.
SO, SO AS WE LOOK AT, UH, SALARIES AND THEN WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE, WHICH IS ELECTED AND THEN OVER TO APPOINTED, UM, AND, AND TRYING TO BE FAIR WITH EVERYTHING, THERE'S, THERE'S A WHOLE GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY COUNTY EMPLOYEES, BUT WORK HERE WHO GET A SUPPLEMENT SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER FROM US YES.
THAT ARE, THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN HERE.
AND UH, OH, SO AS WE, AS WE LOOK AT THINGS MOVING FORWARD, THAT'S SOMETHING I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION.
AND ADD THOSE, ADD THEM TO THE LIST.
SO THAT WE CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, UH, THEY, THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY, UH, FUNDED A HUNDRED PERCENT FROM THE COUNTY, BUT UH, THEY ARE RECEIVING FUNDING FROM THE COUNTY AND THEY ARE IN THE EYES OF EVERYBODY LOOKING FROM THE OUTSIDE COUNTY EMPLOYEES.
SO I'D LIKE TO SEE A LIST THAT INCLUDES THOSE, ALL THOSE PEOPLE, THE SALARIES.
ALRIGHT, SO NEXT, IF THERE'S NO OTHER DISCUSSION ON THAT, WELL THERE IS, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS PREVIOUSLY, BUT IF THAT TO, UH, TO MAKE THOSE COLA INCREASES OR COLA SUPPLEMENTS, UH, FROM THE MIDPOINT AGAIN.
AND, UH, COME UP WITH A MIDPOINT SALARY WHERE THERE'S A PERCENTAGE INCREASE THERE AND IT INCREASE INCREASES AS YOU GO DOWN THE SALARY SCALE AND DECREASES AS YOU GO UP.
THE SALARY SCALE IS THE WAY TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
WE'VE ALREADY KIND OF, COMMISSIONER HOLT AND I MET LAST WEEK AND HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS AND I THINK THAT'S HE AGREES WITH YOU.
AND THAT, AND SO WE'LL DO SOME MORE WORK ON THAT.
[I.G. Salaries and Benefits for Elected Officials. (Becky McCullough / Judge Deen)]
NEXT TAB IS ELECTED OFFICIALS.UM, ALL I DID THIS YEAR IS THIS IS A LIST OF ALL THE ELECTED OFFICIALS.
UM, THIS IS WHAT THEIR 2024 BUDGETED SALARY WAS, UM, WHAT THE FISCAL 25 BUDGET REQUEST IS.
UH, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A COLUMN FOR CELL PHONE, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN
[01:00:01]
A SECOND.THE AUTO ALLOWANCES, THIS LONGEVITY IS YOUR FISCAL 25 LONGEVITY.
AND FOR TOTAL SALARY, 'CAUSE THIS HAS TO BE POSTED.
SO THIS BASICALLY CAN BE THE POSTING.
UM, THE ONLY REQUEST I RECEIVED BY ELECTED OFFICIALS IS, UH, THE JP JUDGE FOR PRECINCT FOUR IS REQUESTING A $900 CELL PHONE ALLOWANCE.
AND HE IS HERE IF ANYBODY HAS A QUESTION FOR HIM.
CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THE, THE CELL PHONE ALLOWANCE THAT WE DON'T DO ANYMORE? YEAH.
PRIOR TO MY TIME ALLOWANCES FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS WERE JUST DONE AWAY WITH AND IT WAS JUST ROLLED INTO THEIR SALARY.
DOESN'T MEAN THAT'S HOW IT HAS TO BE MOVING FORWARD.
I THINK THAT WAS AT A TIME, PROBABLY WHEN THEY WERE STRUGGLING TO BALANCE THE BUDGET.
YOU MAY HAVE BEEN DURING YOUR TIME BEFORE ME COMMISSIONER, BUT I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT THE SITUATION WAS.
THAT'S WHAT IT ROLLED INTO SALARY RATHER THAN AS A CELL PHONE ALLOWANCE FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS AT THAT POINT IN TIME.
THAT WAS BEFORE I GOT HERE, BUT I'M, I'M REMINDED OF IT EVERY YEAR.
I RECALL THE A THE ARGUMENT, BUT THE, THE, THE, THE, UH, REASONING BEHIND IT WAS YOU HAVE A CELL PHONE ANYWAY.
UM, IS THERE, I GUESS, WELL, IT WAS OF A TIME THOSE, IT WAS A TIME WHEN I'M SURE THEY WERE TRYING TO, TRYING TO BALANCE THE BUDGET, BUT EVERYBODY ELSE GETS A CELL PHONE ALLOWANCE, HAS A CELL PHONE ANYWAY AS WELL.
SO YOU GO TO TRAINING AND YOU, IT JUST VIRTUALLY EVERY COUNTY I SEE THEY, THEY, THERE'S A CELL PHONE ALLOWANCE.
UM, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'D LOOK AT.
AGAIN, I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM MR. FOREST AS WELL, IF THAT OPENS UP THAT PARTICULAR OFFICIAL WHO DOES TAKE THAT FOR PUBLIC RECORD.
DOES THAT IT, DOES THAT EXTEND ANY DIFFERENCE? DOES DOES.
I DON'T THINK IT MAKES ANY DIFFERENCE.
DOESN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE IF YOU USE YOUR PHONE FOR, UH, COUNTY BUSINESS.
IT'S, UH, IT'S PUBLIC INFORMATION.
WHETHER YOU GET A CELL PHONE ALLOWANCE OR NOT, IT'S OPEN, DAN, TO BE, UM, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION IS COMMISSIONER WALDEN HAS SAID, UH, IT'S OPEN TO PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST AS WELL, WHETHER YOU, WHETHER YOU GET A CELL PHONE ALLOWANCE OR NOT.
THE COUNTY BUSINESS PORTION IS, BUT IF YOU'RE USING A COUNTY PAID FOR PHONE, I WONDER IF THAT DEFINITION BECOMES BROADER, IS MY QUESTION.
I UNDERSTAND THAT A PERSONAL PHONE USED FOR COUNTY BUSINESS IS SUBJECT, THAT WOULD BE A QUESTION INFORMATION FOR JOHN FOREST, BUT THAT'S THE QUESTION I WOULD'VE FOR FORREST.
IS DOES THAT BROADEN IT AT ALL? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
IT'D BE FOR JOHN FOR TO ANSWER THAT.
DO YOU WANNA ADD ANYTHING? I THINK IN, IN MY SITUATION, COVERED LIKE SUBJECT JUDGE, DO YOU HAVE ANY, UM, FEEDBACK ON THE REQUEST ITSELF AS FAR AS THE, THE NEED FOR IT SEPARATE FROM THE SALARY? YEAH, I MEAN, THE REASON I ASK FOR IT IS I'M THE ONLY JP THAT IS ON DWI CALL LIST.
SO FIVE, FIVE MONTHS OUTTA IT OUT OF THE MONTH, LIKE THIS MONTH I'M ON TWENTY FOUR SEVEN CALL BECAUSE OF BLOOD.
SO I MEAN, I ANSWERED MY PHONE TWENTY FOUR SEVEN AND I ALSO VIEWED THE ACTUAL WARRANTS ON MY PHONE.
UM, SOME JUDGES LIKE TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL.
THE LAW ALLOWS US TO DO IT ELECTRONICALLY.
SO I ACTUALLY RECEIVE THE, UM, AFFIDAVITS, PROBABLE CAUSE AFFIDAVIT TO REVIEW IT, TURN IT AROUND WITH A ORDER, UM, AND A WARRANT AND AN ORDER ALL THROUGH MY PHONE.
UM, SO IT'S JUST SOMETHING, LIKE I SAID, THAT'S THE ONLY REASON I'M ASKING FOR IT IS MY PHONE TO GET USED AT LEAST FIVE MONTHS OUTTA THE YEAR FOR A HOME CALL BUSINESS.
SO YOU, YOU COULD GET OUT OF BED AND EACH NIGHT, THREE TIMES, FOUR TIMES A NIGHT.
TWO WEEKS AGO I HAD FOUR CALLS ONE NIGHT.
IF I WOULD'VE WENT TO THE HOSPITAL, I WOULDN'T EXPECT THAT.
WELL, I'LL, I'LL TAKE THIS OFF.
I'LL THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO BECAUSE YOU COULD, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT.
AND YOU DON'T GET PAID FOR IT.
YEAH, AND THAT'S THE REASON FOR, I MEAN, I DON'T HAVE ANY EXTRA COMPENSATION.
I'M NOT ASKING FOR ANY EXTRA COMPENSATION OTHER THAN THE 900 CAN, CAN YOU EXPAND ON? YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT.
YOU'RE JUST IS SO THAT'S SOMETHING YOU'RE VOLUNTEERING TO DO BASICALLY IN A SENSE.
UM, WHEN IT STARTED, I'M THE ONLY LAWYER THAT'S A JP, SO THEY, THAT ALLOWS ME TO DO THE BLOOD WARRANTS.
NOW THEY'RE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT LEGISLATION TO CHANGE THAT.
UM, BUT IT HASN'T PASSED, SO, SO BECAUSE OF JUDGE JOHNSON AND JUDGE MARTIN PRIOR TO ME, I GUESS SOMEONE ALONG THE WAY ELECTED TO SAY I'LL BE ON THE LIST.
AND SO WHEN I TOOK IT OVER THERE, YOU KNOW, HEY, EVERYBODY ELSE HAS BEEN ON THE LIST, SO I'M ON THE LIST.
BUT YEAH, IT IS NOT PART OF MY JP DUTIES, UM, TO DO THAT.
I BASICALLY, I'M JUST DOING IT BECAUSE I WAS ASKING, SO WHO GETS THOSE CALLS IF YOU DON'T TAKE THEM? WE'RE THERE'S THE FIVE JUDGES ARE ON A ROTATION.
[01:05:01]
QUISENBERRY, TOWSON, MARTIN, AND MYSELF.AND THEY MAKE A WHOLE LOT MORE MONEY, NOT SALARY.
WELL, AND, AND TOO, THAT ROTATION IS KIND OF SKEWED.
IT'S, I THINK YOU TAKE A BRUNT OF A LOT OF THE CALLS, DO YOU NOT? YEAH, YEAH.
I MEAN, THAT'S JUST PART OF IT.
GOOD THING IS I CAN DO IT OFF MY CELL PHONE, SO, UM, I DON'T GET UP AND GO TO THE HOSPITAL THREE OR FOUR TIMES A NIGHT.
UM, AND THAT'S, LIKE I SAID, THAT'S AN ANOMALY.
UM, BUT ON THE WEEKENDS, ONE OR TWO CALLS A NIGHT IS STANDARD.
BECKY, CAN WE LOOK INTO DOING, UH, I'M, I'M VERY HESITANT TO DOING A CELL PHONE ALLOWANCE BECAUSE AS SOON AS WE GRANT ONE, BUT CAN WE DO A DUI ASSISTANCE ALLOWANCE OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE? CAN WE RECLASSIFY IT SO IT'S VERY CLEAR WHAT IT'S FOR? I MEAN, IT WOULD BE A SUPPLEMENT.
I MEAN, I DON'T SEE WHY WE COULDN'T, WE JUST WOULD HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS POSTED AS PART OF HIS SALARY PACKAGE.
I'M NOT SAYING I WANT TO DO IT.
I'M SAYING I UNDERSTAND, BUT, BUT IN LIEU OF CALLING IT A CELL PHONE ALLOWANCE, I THINK THAT KEEPS IT A LOT MORE CLEAR THAT WE'RE DOING THIS FOR A SPECIFIC REASON.
JUST FOR MY KNOWLEDGE, DOES JUDGE JOHNSON AND JUDGE MARTIN, DO THEY, ARE THEY STILL ON THE LIST TOO? OH YEAH.
ALL, ALL THE COURT JUDGES BECAUSE THEY'RE COUNTY JUDGES.
I WAS JUST THINKING IF YOU DID IT FOR ONE, ANY ATTORNEY, JUDGE, JUDGE, IT WAS ALSO AN ATTORNEY WOULD POSSIBLY QUALIFY FOR IT ATTORNEY, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY JUDGE.
THE COUNTY ATTORNEY ON THE LIST.
LIKE A COUNTY PAID PHONE WOULD BE ANOTHER OPTION.
THANK FOR THE, UM, GENERAL PROBATION AND FOR THE, UM, DISTRICT ATTORNEY OVER VICTIM'S ASSISTANCE COORDINATORS.
WHERE THEY WOULD HAVE A PHONE PAID FOR BY PARKER COUNTY.
JUST THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO AND THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION SHARING FROM YOUR SPECIFIC SITUATION.
AND THEN THAT WILL BE LOOKED AT AND UH, WE CAN, LET'S MOVE ON.
UM, I ACTUALLY WAS JUST INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A REQUEST FOR THE SHERIFF TO RECEIVE THE AUTO ALLOWANCE OF $20,800.
AUTO, AUTO ALLOWANCE FOR THE SHERIFF.
I FAILED TO SEE THAT IN A PRESENTATION, BUT MARK, OKAY.
SO IS A REQUEST WE MADE LAST YEAR, DIDN'T GET APPROVED.
WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT AGAIN THIS YEAR.
UM, IF APPROVED, THEN WE WILL TAKE THE VEHICLE HE'S CURRENTLY DRIVING, WHICH WE PAID FOR WITH SEIZE ASSETS, AND WE'LL TRANSFER THAT TO INVESTIGATIONS.
AND THAT WILL REMOVE A VEHICLE, UH, REQUEST FROM, FROM THE CID LINE.
I'M ASKING FOR TWO REPLACEMENTS IN THAT LINE.
UH, AND THEN SOME ADDITIONAL COUPLE DIFFERENT ADDITIONAL EMPLOYEES WOULD, WOULD BE A TOTAL OF FOUR VEHICLES THAT WE'RE GONNA REQUEST OUTTA THAT, THAT LINE.
SO IF IT'S APPROVED, WE'LL BE ABLE TO REMOVE THAT 50,000 OR $45,000 TRUCK OUT OF THAT LINE.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU HAVE ON THAT? NO.
THAT'S, LET'S, IS THAT DOWN TO ITEM H? UM, SO
[I.J. Salaries and Benefits for Non-Elected Employees. (Becky McCullough / Judge Deen)]
APPOINTED OFFICIALS IS THE NEXT TAB IN THE BOOK.UH, THIS IS JUST A LIST OF ALL THE APPOINTED OFFICIALS.
THEY ARE ALL LISTED, WHETHER THEY ARE APPOINTED BY COMMISSIONER'S COURT OR THE PURCHASING BOARD OR DISTRICT JUDGES, BECAUSE I KNOW THIS IS JUST ASK EVERY YEAR KIND OF BEING MORE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT DOES REALLY EVERYBODY MAKE.
SO THE FIRST COLUMN IS THE 2024 BUDGETED SALARY.
SO THAT, THAT NEXT LINE IS THEIR PAID SALARY.
SO THERE ARE A FEW IN HERE THAT ARE ACTUALLY PAID LESS THAN THEY'RE BUDGETED FOR.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED Y'ALL TO SEE THAT.
AND THEN FOR THE BUDGET 25, UH, REQUEST, UM, AT THE TIME I PUT THE PRESENTATION TOGETHER, THE ONLY APPOINTED OFFICIAL REQUEST THAT I KNOW OF OR THAT WAS ASKED OF ME WAS FOR THE CHIEF MEDICAL INVESTIGATOR TO BE MOVED TO $90,000.
AND WHENEVER WE GET TO HER DEPARTMENT, UM, 4 74, THEN THERE'S MORE DETAIL ABOUT THAT IN THERE.
UM, AFTER TALKING TO A FEW OF Y'ALL, I WAS ASKED TO LOOK AT THE IT DIRECTOR'S SALARY.
SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FROM THE IT DIRECTOR, IT WAS A REQUEST FROM CONVERSATIONS WITH MEMBERS OF COURT TO MOVE THE IT DIRECTOR'S SALARY TO 130,000.
WELL, AND HE IS MAKING CURRENTLY ONE 20 SALARY.
IT WOULD TAKE THE IT DIRECTOR TO 130,000, BUT HE MAKES ONE 20 NOW.
UH, WE HAVE MOTION WITH, UH, COMMISSIONER COLING AND A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER HOLT.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR
[01:10:01]
CARRIE'S FIVE.UM, OH, AND ONE OTHER THING I, I WANT TO THANK THIS COURT FOR, UM, THAT RECOGNIZING THAT THE IMPORTANCE OF, OBVIOUSLY WHERE WE CAME FROM, AND I THINK IT WAS WHAT, UH, COMMISSIONER WAL WAS IT, WHAT, THREE YEARS AGO THAT WE WENT THROUGH THE, UH, RANSOMWARE MM-HMM.
AND, UM, SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF EVERYBODY, I'M SURE THAT WHEN YOU MAKE A PHONE CALL AND YOU ISSUE A TICKET OR YOU HAVE THEM CALL, THEY'RE HERE WITHIN FIVE MINUTES.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S IMPRESSIVE.
I, THE LEADERSHIP, WE WE'RE, WE'RE SO FAR NOW THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY LOOKED AT FROM THE STANDPOINT OF CORRELATING WITH WEATHERFORD AND BEING AN EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW EVEN BY THE CITY OF WEATHERFORD.
AND I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT BY THE CITY OF WEATHERFORD.
SO YEAH, I THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU JUST DID.
[I.H. Salaries and Benefits for Precincts. (Becky McCullough / Judge Deen)]
IS THE PRECINCTS.SO THE FIRST IS JUST A COVER SHEET OF, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT KOHL RAISES WOULD LOOK LIKE.
AGAIN, WE CAN LOOK AT THIS MORE IN THAT TIER STRUCTURE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER FOR FUND 10.
UM, AND THEN ALSO WE HAD SOME SPECIAL REQUESTS FOR PRECINCT ONE AND PRECINCT TWO.
I DID NOT RECEIVE ANY ADDITIONAL REQUESTS FOR PRECINCT THREE OR PRECINCT FOUR.
UM, SO THAT'S WHY THERE'S NOT ANYTHING OTHER THAN JUST COLA PROJECTIONS FOR PRECINCT THREE AND PRECINCT FOUR.
SO PRECINCT ONE IS REQUESTING TO ADD A FULL-TIME OPERATOR POSITION.
UM, SO THAT WOULD BE A BUDGETED SALARY OF $50,000 TO RECLASS AN OPERATOR TO A CO-LEAD OPERATOR, WHICH WE WOULD INCREASE THAT SALARY TO $1,942 AND INCREASE THE PART-TIME BUDGET OF, IN THE BUDGET BOOKS.
THE REQUEST WAS TO INCREASE AT $21,060.
I THINK THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN SOME CONFUSION 'CAUSE UM, I THINK IT WAS ENTERED INTO THE BUDGET AS A $10,000 INCREASE.
BUT I I, THAT HAS BEEN REMOVED AND I JUST SUBMITTED FOR WHAT WAS IN THE BUDGET BOOK.
SO, UM, SO WHAT I DID FOR PRECINCT BUDGETS IS WHAT YOU SEE ON, UM, THE LEFT IS WHAT YOUR FISCAL 24 BUDGETS LOOK LIKE.
AND THEN IF THESE, UH, IF THE ADDITIONAL EMPLOYEE IS APPROVED, WHAT YOUR FISCAL 25 BUDGET WILL LOOK LIKE, WHICH IS A TOTAL INCREASE OF 6% OR 130 2002 29.
OKAY, WELL, I'LL POINT OUT THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER, UH, EMPLOYEE UH, EMPLOYEES BECAUSE THEY COME OUT OF OUR PRECINCT BUDGET RIGHT.
RATHER THAN OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND.
SO IT'S JUST REALLOCATION OF FUNDS IN YOUR PRECINCT WHEN YOU'RE ABLE, THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT.
OR SO THAT'S NOT, IT'S NOT COMING OUTTA GENERAL FUND RIGHT NOW.
THESE ARE THE FUND BUDGETS, BUT CORRECT.
DO WE WANNA GO AHEAD AND GET AN APPROVAL FOR THAT? FOR PRECINCT ONE? I GUESS IF I HAVE TO MAKE THE MOTION FOR I WILL.
MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER CONLEY WITH THE SECOND BY COMMISSIONER HOLT.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR.
AND WHAT IS THAT MOTION AGAIN, PLEASE? UM, I CAN PROVIDE YOU, UH, APPROVAL AS PRESENTED AND I CAN GIVE YOU A COPY OF THE PRESENTATION.
BASICALLY IT'S TO ADD A FULL-TIME POSITION, RECLASS AN OPERATOR TO A CO-LEAD OPERATOR AND INCREASE THE PART-TIME BUDGET.
THANK, AND BASICALLY THE REQUEST FOR PRECINCT TWO IS TO ADD TWO ADDITIONAL PART-TIME, PART-TIME, I'M SORRY.
TWO ADDITIONAL FULL-TIME OPERATORS AT WILL BUDGET THE SALARY AT $50,000 EACH AND INCREASE PART-TIME, UM, FOR THE OFFICE UP TO $30,000, WHICH THIS WILL AFFECT HIS TOTAL SALARY AND BENEFITS BUDGET BY 7% WITH AN INCREASE OF A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THREE SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY FIVE.
THE 30,000 INCREASE FOR PART-TIME IS NOT JUST OFFICE, CORRECT? IT'S ANY PART-TIME.
WELL, I THINK IN YOUR, TYPICALLY WHAT WE DO DO, MINE'S DEFINED AS JUST PART-TIME, I THINK.
TYPICALLY WHAT WE DO, AT LEAST FOR MY END, IT'LL JUST BE IN YOUR PART-TIME LINE.
BUT BECAUSE THE WORKERS' COMP RATES ARE EXTREMELY DIFFERENT GOTCHA.
FOR OFFICE HELP OR ROAD AND BRIDGE.
SO IF YOU CAN JUST LET ME KNOW HOW MUCH TO DESIGNATE EAT, THEN THAT WAY I KNOW WHAT TO BUDGET YOUR WORKERS' COMP AT.
I'D SAY LET'S SPLIT IT IN HALF, PLEASE.
MOTION MAY BY COMMISSIONER HOLT, THE SECOND BY COMMISSIONER WALDEN.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL ON PAPER CARRIE'S FIVE.
[I.I. Salaries and Benefits for PCSO. (Becky McCullough / Judge Deen) (Part 1 of 2)]
WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.SO AGAIN, THERE'S A COVER SHEET FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOR THEIR, UM, THAT I JUST KIND OF SUMMARIZE ALL THE REQUESTS.
THERE'S MORE BACKUP THAT WE WILL MOVE THROUGH, BUT THEIR NEW PAY SCALE I PROJECT, THE TOTAL COST IS, UM, 1.477, ALMOST SEVEN $8 MILLION.
[01:15:01]
RECLASS ONE EMPLOYEE IN THEIR DISPATCHER DEPARTMENT.UM, THAT INCREASE WILL BE 29,731.
Y'ALL REMOVE THAT, NEVERMIND, THAT'S BEEN REMOVED.
THREE ADDITIONAL DISPATCHERS AT 2 82, 8 73.
WELL, WE'LL JUST, THAT'S THE SUMMARY.
LET'S GO THROUGH EACH ONE KIND OF INDIVIDUALLY.
UM, THE NEXT PAGE IS THE BREAKDOWN OF THE PAY SCALE.
SO THE TOP SECTION IS IF Y'ALL WERE TO SAY NO, NO RAISES, THIS IS WHAT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE BUDGET IS GONNA LOOK LIKE FOR SALARIES AND BENEFITS, THAT MIDDLE PORTION, BECAUSE THEY DO HAVE A STEP IN GRADE ALREADY IN PLACE.
SO THERE WILL NEED TO BE A MOTION OF WE ARE JUST GONNA KEEP THAT EXISTING STEP IN GRADE IN PLACE OR MOVE TO A NEW ONE.
SO WITH THE EXISTING STEP IN GRADE, I SAY THE INCREASE IS GONNA BE ABOUT $72,000 BECAUSE THEY DO GET EMPLOYEES THAT RECEIVE RAISES EVERY YEAR REGARDLESS OF COLAS.
AND THEN THE NEW PAY SCALE IS DOWN AT THE BOTTOM WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE BREAKDOWN, WHERE I CAME UP WITH THE INCREASE OF 1.4 7 7 8, 3 3.
THE NEXT PAGE IS THE PAY SCALE ITSELF.
SO YOU CAN SEE, UM, THE CHANGES.
THE FIRST ONE IS GONNA BE FOR THE GUNS AND BADGE EMPLOYEES.
THE NEXT PAGE IS THE PAY SCALE FOR DISPATCH AND ANIMAL CONTROL.
AND THEN I DID PROVIDE A LIST AND I JUST ALPHABETIZED IT IN, UM, POSITION ORDER WITH WHAT THEY ARE CURRENTLY PAID, WHAT THEIR NEW SALARY WOULD GO TO.
AND THEN I PUT A PERCENTAGE REQUEST WHAT THE PERCENTAGE INCREASE WOULD BE ON THOSE POSITIONS.
AS YOU GO THROUGH ALL OF THAT, YOU'RE GONNA NOTICE MAYBE THERE'S SOME THAT ARE NEGATIVE AND THAT'S JUST BECAUSE MAYBE THAT PERSON WAS PAID AT THE HIGHER TIER, MAYBE THEY WERE PROMOTED AND, AND MOVED, AND THEN THEY HIRED SOMEONE THAT WOULD MOVE IT BACK DOWN TO STEP ONE.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE MAYBE A NEGATIVE IN THE PERCENTAGE.
YEAH, WE GOTTA CHANGE THIS UP HERE REAL QUICK.
IF YOU COULD KIND OF GO GET A LITTLE CHARGE AND COME UP.
WE TAKE A LITTLE BREAK DURING THE TECHNICAL, UH, ISSUE.
SECOND IT
HAVE A COMPUTER ISSUE THAT, UM, I'M GONNA ASK RUSS TO KIND OF TAKE A BREAK FOR A MOMENT AND SEE IF WE CAN'T GET THIS THING UP.
[I.K. Additional Employee Salary Requests and/or New Positions. (Becky McCullough / Judge Deen) (Part 1 of 2)]
MOVE TO K ON ADDITIONAL EMPLOYEE SALARY REQUEST AND OUR NEW POSITIONS.ALL RIGHT, SO WE'RE JUST GONNA MOVE ON TO THE FUND 10.
WE'LL GO TO K WE'LL COME BACK TO RUSS.
UM, I'M GONNA ASK, SO THERE'S NOT A PRESENTATION IN HERE FOR, UM, THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE, BUT KURT HARRIS IS HERE AND HE WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS SOME, SOME SALARY ISSUES THAT HE WOULD LIKE FOR THE COURT TO THINK ABOUT.
OKAY, KURT, COME ON UP AND WE'RE ON ITEM K.
I'D LIKE TO THANK THE COURT FOR ALLOWING ME THIS PRIVILEGE.
UM, NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE'VE HAD A LARGE REDUCTION IN MANPOWER AT MY OFFICE, AND SOME OF THAT CAN BE UNDERSTOOD IN THAT IT HAS NOW GOT TO GET ALL THE RADIOS AND THEY'RE WELCOME TO THOSE.
BUT WE STILL ARE LEFT WITH, UM, ALL THE THINGS THAT WE DID BEFORE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE RADIOS.
AND I'M DOWN TO THREE PEOPLE NOW MYSELF AND, AND, UH, SECRETARY AND, UH, AN INVESTIGATOR INSPECTOR AND I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE OUR SECRETARY GO FROM A, THE SECRETARIAL STATUS THAT SHE HAD BEFORE TO AN OFFICE MANAGER BECAUSE TRULY SHE
[01:20:01]
IS THE ONE THAT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THAT OFFICE GO.UH, IT'S MEREDITH GRAY, SHE'S A WONDERFUL LADY.
AND, UM, AND SHE HAS, HAS GOT TO KEEP THINGS GOING WHILE WE'RE OUT IN THE FIELD DOING WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.
UH, RANDY FRANKS, WHO, UH, IS UNFORTUNATELY ON WORKMAN'S COMP RIGHT NOW, HE'S STILL THERE AT THE OFFICE, BUT HE, HE CANNOT GET OUT AND DO A LOT, UH, BECAUSE HE'S GOTTA STAY THERE AND WORK.
BUT NEVERTHELESS, HE, HIS SALARY AT 64,000 WAS NOT WHAT I THINK HE NEEDED.
UM, HE CERTIFIED AS AN INSPECTOR CERTIFIED AS A, AS INVESTIGATOR CERTIFIED IN LAW ENFORCEMENT.
UH, HE'S, HE'S A GUY THAT DOESN'T LET ANY GRASS GROW UNDER HIS FEET.
HE MAKES SURE ALL OF OUR VEHICLES, EVEN THOSE THAT THAT WE HAVE FOR STANDBY ARE, ARE CONSTANTLY, UH, UPGRADED AND, AND READY TO GO.
HE'S JUST A REALLY GOOD MAN AND, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM, UH, GET A, A RAISE TOO AT AT LEAST, UH, CONSIDERING $10,000 RAISE FOR HIM WHEN OUR ASSISTANT EEM WAS MAKING 81,000 AND HE WAS MAKING 64, THAT DIDN'T SEEM EQUITABLE TO ME.
NOT THAT, NOT THAT I'M SAYING THAT MAYBE SHE DESERVED 81, THAT'S WHAT HER SALARY WAS, BUT I I THINK THAT RANDY TRULY DOES DESERVE A, A RAISE AS WELL AS OUR SECRETARY WITH THAT RECLASSIFICATION.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAVE TO, TO ASK FOR, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE Y'ALL CONSIDER THAT.
I CAN TAKE THAT INFORMATION AND PUT TOGETHER SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT AT THE NEXT COURT SO Y'ALL CAN SEE THE TRUE NUMBERS IF Y'ALL LIKE.
I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS REAL QUICK.
DO WE HAVE ANY, WELL, THIS IS MORE FROM AN OVERALL HR STANDPOINT.
SO I THINK THIS MAY BE MORE FOR YOU.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER OFFICES THAT ONLY HAVE THE SECRETARY POSITION AND DO NOT HAVE THE OFFICE MANAGER POSITION THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF? WELL, PRECINCT FOUR JUST HAS A FULL-TIME OFFICE MANAGER.
YOU HAVE JUST ONE OFF FULL-TIME OFFICE MANAGER.
BUT I'M SAYING IT SOUNDS LIKE WE HAVE ONE PERSON WHO'S CLASSIFIED AS A SECRETARY ONLY.
I DON'T BELIEVE SHE'S CLASSIFIED AS A SECRETARY.
BUT THIS IS A POSITION THAT OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS HAS BEEN RECEIVING RAISES.
UM, WHENEVER OUR PREVIOUS DIRECTOR TOOK OVER THAT POSITION, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL THAT PERSON DID WAS ANSWER THE PHONE WAS JUST LIKE, JUST SECRETARY, ANSWER THE PHONE.
I KNOW THAT IT HAS EVOLVED IN INTO OTHER THINGS.
UM, CURRENTLY THAT POSITION, JUST SO Y'ALL DO KNOW, IS, IS BUDGET, IS IT PAID AT 52,345? SO AGAIN, I THINK IT STARTED IN THE THIRTIES, SO IT'S BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY BROUGHT UP OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.
BUT AGAIN, I'LL GO BACK TO SEE WHAT THE REQUEST WAS GOING TO BE FOR THAT POSITION.
AND IF YOU COULD FIND OUT WHAT IS THAT POSITION CURRENTLY CLASSIFIED AS THEN? IS IT CLASSIFIED AS, IT PROBABLY IS CLASSIFIED AS AN OFFICE MANAGER.
I WANNA SAY HE WAS GONNA, HE WAS ASKING FOR IT TO GO TO AN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, WHICH, UM, JUST A NAME CHANGE.
AND THEN AS FAR AS THE INVESTIGATOR POSITION, THAT POSITION WAS ORIGINALLY GRANTED BY COURT TO BE THE ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATOR FOR PRECINCT FOUR.
AND SO IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, CONSTABLE ONE ASKED TO, FOR A NEW POSITION TO HANDLE THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOR PRECINCT FOUR.
SO WHEN THAT POSITION WAS GRANTED, THIS POSITION STAYED IN THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE AND IT WAS JUST NOT ENVIRONMENTAL ANYMORE.
IT WAS JUST GONNA BE FIRE INVESTIGATION.
SO IT, THAT POSITION WAS ORIGINALLY ON THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE STEPPING GRADE, BUT BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE LAST YEAR, IT WAS REMOVED AND WAS JUST GIVEN A STANDARD COLA AS THE REST OF THE COUNTY.
WHEN YOU BRING THAT INFORMATION BACK, IF THERE COULD BE SOME COMPARISON BETWEEN THE POSITION AND THE FIRE MALL, THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE VERSUS THAT POSITION IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS FROM A SALARY PERSPECTIVE, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FROM LIKE AN INVESTIGATOR.
NO, I'M SORRY, I'M STILL ON THE, ON THE OFFICE MANAGER.
OKAY, SO FOR THE REST OF FUND 10, AGAIN, YOUR FIRST PAGE IS JUST A SUMMARY OF ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT ASK AGAIN, AT THE BOTTOM, I DID A PROJECTION OF A 1% COLA ALL THE WAY TO A 5% COLA.
SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FOR SALARY DOLLARS AND TOTAL COST.
AND EVEN THOUGH I BREAK OUT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOR PRESENTATION, BECAUSE THEY'RE JUST, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE SPECIAL.
SO, UM, BUT WHENEVER I'M TALKING ABOUT THESE COLAS, THIS
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DOES INCLUDE THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE BECAUSE THEY ARE PAID OUT OF FUND TENT.SO JUST KIND OF FOR CLARITY, SO FIRST I HAVE THE REQUEST FROM THE JP OFFICES.
UM, THEY ALL REQUESTED THE SAME THING.
THEY'RE ASKING FOR MASTER CERTIFICATION, PAY FOR THEIR CLERKS WHO, UH, QUALIFY FOR THAT.
IT WOULD BE AN $800 ANNUAL SUPPLEMENT, AND ALSO FOR A $600 BILINGUAL PAY, THAT WOULD ALSO BE AN ANNUAL SUPPLEMENT.
NOW, THIS IS KIND OF ONE OF THOSE THINGS FOR BUDGETING.
HOW DO YOU BUDGET THAT? BECAUSE AS YOU HAVE TURNOVER, HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU'RE GONNA HAVE SOMEONE THAT YOU HIRE THAT'S BILINGUAL? SO FOR BUDGETING PURPOSES, I JUST BUDGETED IT AS FAR AS IF YOU HAD TO PAY THAT TO EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE YOU HAVE WHAT THE COST WILL, WHAT THE SALARY COST IS, AND THEN WHAT THE TOTAL COST IS.
I, I AGREE, THIS IS PROBABLY HIGH, BUT FOR ME, YOU KNOW, I'D RATHER HAVE THE MONEY IN THERE AND NOT NEED IT THAN THEM HAVE TO LOOK AT A NEW HIRE AND SAY, OH, I'M SORRY, I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY IN YOUR BUDGET TO PAY YOU THE SUPPLEMENT.
WE'LL LOOK AT IT AGAIN, DURING BUDGET.
SO FOR ALL THE OFFICES, FOR SALARIES ALONE, IT WOULD BE 48,000.
AND I KNOW THERE'S SOME JP THERE'S SOME JUDGES HERE THAT PROBABLY WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THAT.
THE ACT, THE INFORMATION BECKY JUST GAVE YOU WAS INACCURATE.
THE, UH, WHAT WE DISCUSSED WAS FOR MASTER CLERK WAS $1,800 AND FOR LEVEL ONE, THE CRIMINAL CLERK WAS $1,200.
THAT'S WHAT WE ALL, UH, GOT UP HERE AND PROPOSED A WEEK OR TWO AGO.
THE, AND I BELIEVE THAT SHOULD BE IN THE BUDGET, UH, WHAT WE REQUESTED IN THERE.
WHEN THEY GO FROM ONE LEVEL TO THE NEXT, IF THE MONEY ISN'T IN THE BUDGET TO GIVE THEM, THEY'RE NOT PAYING THE MONEY.
SO THAT'S WHY, JUST FOR PROTECTION THAT HIGH.
UH, AND THEN THE BILINGUAL PAY WAS FOR THE $600.
UH, AGAIN, TO RECAP FOR WHAT I SPOKE ABOUT, UM, I'M NOT SURE WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT FOR ALL THE OFFICES OR ALL THE STAFF.
UH, BUT WE ARE A CUSTOMER SERVICE ORIENTED OFFICE.
ALL THE JP OFFICES, WE HAVE PEOPLE COMING IN ALL THE TIME OF ALL WALKS OF LIFE.
THE BIGGEST PORTION OF THEM, AT LEAST IN MY OFFICE, A HUGE PORTION OF 'EM ARE BILINGUAL OR THEY'RE SPANISH SPEAKING ONLY.
I'M SORRY, SPANISH SPEAKING ONLY.
SO THE ONLY WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM IS HAVING SOMEBODY THERE, UH, THAT CAN SPEAK SPANISH.
I'M NOT FOR SURE ABOUT PRECINCT ONE.
UH, BUT IT'S, IT'S A NECESSITY TO HAVE THAT PERSON IN THAT OFFICE THAT CAN SPEAK THAT.
UH, AND I BELIEVE IT'S, IT'S, UH, APPROPRIATE FOR THEM TO BE PAID FOR THAT.
BECAUSE I'VE GOT SIX CLERKS, I ONLY HAVE ONE THAT SPEAKS SPANISH, THAT, THAT SHE'S THE ONLY ONE SHE HAS TO STOP WHAT SHE'S DOING TO GO UP TO THE COUNTER AND TAKE CARE OF SOMEBODY THAT, THAT NEEDS SOME HELP IN THERE.
UH, TIMES ARE CHANGING AND WE HAVE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS.
AND WE HAVE TO START UNDERSTANDING OUR, OUR DYNAMICS OF WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH, WITH PEOPLE COMING INTO THESE OFFICES AND, AND, UH, PAYING, PAYING TICKETS.
AND THEY'RE PAYING LOTS OF MONEY IN TICKETS TO THIS COUNTY.
UH, SO, UH, THAT'S REVENUE COMING IN OFF OF THOSE SERVICES THAT WE'RE PROVIDING TO THEM.
THAT'S COMING RIGHT BACK INTO THE COUNTY.
SAME THING GOES FOR OUR CLERKS.
UH, THIS IS, WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR A BLANK CHECK.
UH, THIS IS NOT STARTING SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA RUN RAMPANT THROUGHOUT THE STAFF IN THE COUNTY.
THIS IS VERY SPECIFIC TO THE JUSTICE COURT CLERKS.
IT'S A CERTIFICATION THAT THEY CAN GET AND THEY DO GET, UH, THAT IS EXTREMELY HIGHLY HARD TO GET.
THEY HAVE TO TEST THEIR PROXY BY THE JUSTICE COURT TRAINING CENTER.
UH, IT'S JUST NOT, THEY JUST SIT DOWN AND TAKE A TEST ONLINE.
THEY'RE ACTUALLY PROXY AND MONITOR TO ACQUIRE THESE, UH, CERTIFICATIONS.
AND THIS CERTIFICATION THAT THEY'RE GETTING IS SOMETHING THAT'S HELPING COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
IT'S HELPING THE COUNTY AND IN THE, THE CITIZENS, THE VOTERS THAT PUT US IN OFFICE TO PROCESS THEM THROUGH THE INTELLIGENCE LEVEL.
AND I SAID A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, IT'S KEEPING OUR OFFICES TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN CURRENTLY AT THE STAFF LEVEL THEY'VE GOT.
AND WE'VE NOT HAD TO COME IN AND ASK FOR MORE EMPLOYEES BECAUSE OF THE LEVEL OF TRAINING THEY'RE GETTING.
THEY CAN DO MORE THINGS AND IT, THEY CAN DO IT ON A QUICKER TIMETABLE INSTEAD OF HAVING TO TAKE TIME TO RESEARCH.
THEY HAVE THAT KNOWLEDGE FROM THEIR TRAINING.
UH, SO IT'S AN ASSET TO HAVE THESE EMPLOYEES.
UH, I DID THE NUMBERS THE OTHER DAY JUST IN MY OFFICE ALONE, JUST IN MY CLERKS.
WE'RE CLOSE TO 90 YEARS OF SERVICE COMBINED TO PARKER COUNTY.
UH, SO THEY'RE DEDICATED EMPLOYEES AND THEY'VE SHOWED THEIR DEDICATION EVEN MORE BY GOING OUT ON THEIR OWN AND GETTING THESE CERTIFICATIONS TO DO THEIR JOBS WELL.
'CAUSE THEY LOVE THEIR JOBS, THEY APPRECIATE THEIR JOBS AND, UH, THEY TAKE PRIDE IN THEIR JOBS.
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AND SO I BELIEVE THAT, UH, THE CERTIFICATION, WE ASK RESPECTFULLY THAT THE CERTIFICATION PAY FOR THESE PEOPLE AND THIS BILINGUAL PAY BE, UH, GRANTED.SO IT, UH, KEEPS US MOVING ALONG AND BEING AHEAD OF THE CURVE AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU ON THE BILINGUAL SIDE.
SO WE HAVE OPERATORS, FOR EXAMPLE, AT THE PRECINCT TOO.
SOME OF THEM KNOW HOW TO USE THE, AND SOME OF THEM KNOW HOW TO USE A FORKLIFT, AND SOME OF THEM KNOW HOW SOME OF THEM HAVE A CDL, UM, AT SOME POINT IS HAVING STAFF THAT'S BILINGUAL CONSIDERED AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE JOB BECAUSE, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR MY STAFF, NOT ALL OF THEM HAVE A CDL, BUT I'M NOT NECESSARILY PAYING THE GUYS THAT HAVE A CDL HIGHER THAN I'M PAYING THE OTHER PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE A CDL.
SO THERE'S NOT A CDL SUPPLEMENTAL, FOR EXAMPLE, OR THE ABILITY TO USE EXCEL.
UM, THE REASON WHY I'M ASKING IS I'M SURE EACH OF THE PRECINCTS HAVE SOME GUYS THAT SPEAK SPANISH.
I KNOW THAT I'VE GOT A COUPLE THAT SPEAKS SPANISH.
SO AT WHAT POINT DOES THIS BECOME SOMETHING THAT'S JUST PART OF THE, PART OF PART OF DOING BUSINESS IN PARKER COUNTY IS HAVING EMPLOYEES THAT CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THE RESIDENTS? I THINK IT'S A, I THINK IT'S PART OF DOING BUSINESS ANYWHERE ANYMORE.
UH, BECAUSE OF THE BULK OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING IN HERE ARE SPANISH SPEAKING ONLY.
UH, I GUESS WHAT I'M ASKING IS DO I WANNA TAKE SOMEBODY OFF THE LINGUIST SCHOOL FOR A YEAR? WELL, NO.
TO BECOME VERY FLUENT AND AT HIGH EXPENSE.
AND I SHARE THIS A COUPLE WEEKS.
IF I HAVE A COURT HEARING AND SOMEBODY'S COMING IN, THAT'S SPANISH SPEAKING ONLY, AND THEY REQUEST THAT WE GET THEM A TRANSLATOR.
IF I HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE THE COUNTY TO SOME FIRM AND BRING A TRANSLATOR INTO COURT TO REPRESENT THEM, THAT'S AT A COST RIGHT THERE.
THE LOAN IS ALMOST $600 FOR THAT ONE EVENT.
I MAY HAVE 15, 20, 30 EVENTS A YEAR WHERE I HAVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY IN THAT COURTROOM THAT CAN TRANSLATE FOR A DEFENDANT IN MY COURTROOM.
AND IF I HAVE TO GO OUT EVERY TIME OUTSIDE AND HIRE SOMEBODY, A PROFESSIONAL TO COME IN THAT DOES THIS SERVICE TO THE COUNTY THAT'S AT A HIGH EXPENSE TO THE COUNTY TO WHERE IF I HAVE AN EMPLOYEE THAT'S ALREADY THAT CAN DO THAT, THEN UH, TO ME THAT'S A BENEFIT.
MY OFFICE DEFINITELY, UH, THE OTHER DAY, THIS SPECIFIC EMPLOYEE I HAVE, THAT'S SPANISH SPEAKING, SHE WAS OUT, I HAD TO GO TO AUTO REGISTRATION AND RECRUIT A LADY OVER THERE THAT SPEAKS SPANISH TO COME OVER AND HELP TRANSLATE FOR SOME PEOPLE TRYING TO PAY SOME CLASSY CRIMINAL TICKETS.
I THINK THE POINT THAT YOU MISSED IS WHEN WE HIRE FOLKS AT THE PRECINCT BARNS, WE HAVE TO HIRE FOLKS THAT HAVE THE SKILLS TO DO THE JOB AS NEEDED.
SO WE'RE NOT GONNA HIRE SOMEONE THAT DOESN'T HAVE THE SKILL AND THEN PAY THEM TO GO GET THE TRAINING FOR THAT SKILL.
MY POINT IS, IS THIS NOT PART OF JUST THE HIRING STRATEGY OF HIRING FOLKS THAT DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO SPEAK MULTIPLE LANGUAGES? IT COULD BE.
I'M NOT SAYING IT'S SPECIFICALLY A REQUIREMENT, BUT SURE.
I THINK WE OPEN A CAN OF WORMS WHERE THE PRECINCT EMPLOYEES MAY WANT SOME BILINGUAL PAY.
UM, I MEAN, I SPEAK A COUPLE OF WORDS OF SPANISH.
I COULD, I COULD PROBABLY USE A FEW EXTRA BUCKS.
AND I'M NOT TRYING TO MAKE MAKE LIGHT OF THIS, BUT WELL, IT'S DONE ON MULTIPLE LEVELS AT SOME POINT.
WELL, HANG ON, JUDGE, HANG ON PLEASE.
AT SOME POINT, THIS IS, I I GET NERVOUS ON TOO MANY SUPPLEMENTALS BECAUSE IT JUST OPENS PANDORA'S BOX TO ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY WHERE ANYONE WHO ANSWERS THE PHONE, IF THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO SPEAK SPANISH, DO THEY NEED BILINGUAL PAY? OR IS THIS JUST PART OF US IN OUR GENERAL HIRING STRATEGY, PRIORITIZING FOLKS TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS WHO HAVE THE SKILLS THAT WE NEED IS THAT'S MY POINT.
IT, IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY A SKILL THAT THAT'S NEEDED.
UH, I'M NOT GONNA COMPARE APPLES TO ORANGES OF WHAT Y'ALL DO AS FAR AS OUT IN THE FIELD DEALING WITH THE, THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
UH, AND AT THAT POINT IN TIME, WE HAVE TO EITHER DEAL WITH THEM, HAVE A PERSON THAT CAN DEAL WITH THEM DIRECTLY OR SEND THEM AWAY.
I'M NOT TRYING TO ADVOCATE EITHER WAY.
WHEN I GO MAGISTRATE AND, AND RUSH, YOU KNOW THIS, THAT WHEN WE'RE GOING THERE AND, AND THERE'S SOMEONE THAT DOESN'T SPEAK ENGLISH.
YOU OBVIOUSLY CAN'T READ 'EM THEIR RIGHTS.
SO WHAT WE DO IS IF THERE'S NO ONE THERE FROM LASALLE THAT WILL SPEAK SPANISH, AND, AND THEY DON'T RIGHT NOW AND THEY HAVEN'T PROBABLY IN A YEAR, IS THAT WE CALL ON A, A TELEMED
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OR WHATEVER, NOT TELEMED, A A A, BASICALLY A SOMEBODY THAT SPEAKS SPANISH.AND SO WE CALL IN ON A NUMBER AND THEN THEY GET ON, WE THEN READ AND THEY INTERPRET THAT TO THEM.
AND SO THAT'S OBVIOUSLY A COST, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT AT LASALLE.
UM, IT, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT, THAT IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, COMMISSIONER THAT IN THE JUDICIAL SIDE OF THIS IS IT, UH, IT'S A NECESSITY AND, AND WHAT YOU DO AND JUST SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE JPS THAT, UH, YOU GET IN THAT SITUATION, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ADDRESS THAT BECAUSE OF THEIR RIGHTS, YOU KNOW, AND, AND NOT READING THEIR RIGHTS, BUT MAKING SURE THAT THEY GO THROUGH THE PROCESS AND UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THEM AND WHAT THEIR OPTIONS ARE.
AND SO, UH, IT IS A BIT DIFFERENT THAT YOU, THERE, THERE IS A COST TO DO IT ONE OF TWO WAYS.
EITHER HAVE THAT, UM, AND IT'S GOOD.
YOU DO, UH, OR YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO GET SOMEBODY IN AND, AND IN THAT SITUATION, IN PERSON, IN OUR CASE ON MAGISTRATE AT THE JAIL IS WE CALL IN AND WE DO IT OVER THE PHONE.
WHICH IS SO IT IS, IT IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
IT'S, IT'S AN EXTREMELY LONG DRAWN OUT PROCESS.
SO IF I CAN MAKE A COMMENT TOO, JUDGE, JUST, JUST, UH, SO THAT EVERYBODY'S REAL CLEAR, AND I, I I'LL SPEAK FOR YOU, UH, COMMISSIONER, WE APPRECIATE THE, THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE BRINGING TO US.
THE, THE REQUESTS WE APPRECIATE THE, THE RISK RATIONALE BEHIND IT.
UH, IF, IF IN A, IN A PERFECT WORLD, WE'D BE ABLE TO PAY EVERYBODY FOR THAT AND, AND, AND IN OUR, IN OUR PRECINCTS AS WELL.
AND THE BIG PICTURE IS WE GOT $10 MILLION WORTH OF REQUESTS AND WE DON'T HAVE $10 MILLION FOR DOLLARS.
SO WE'VE GOTTA PRIORITIZE THINGS.
AND, AND I KNOW THIS IS THE SEVERAL, SEVERAL YEARS IN A ROW, THIS HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP TO US.
WE APPRECIATE THAT TO EVERYBODY HERE.
UM, WE HAVE TO MAKE A LIST HERE IN THIS COURT OF WHERE THINGS START AND WHERE THEY STOP.
I HOPE THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH MONEY AT THIS POINT TO FUND THAT AND FUND OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA DO.
BUT WE'RE, WE'RE DISCUSSING THINGS HERE, GATHERING INFORMATION.
AND WHAT OUR JOB IS, IS TO SAY, WHAT'S THE NUMBER ONE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN PARKER COUNTY THAT HAS TO BE FUNDED? WE FUND IT.
WE GO TO THE SECOND AND WE GO TO THE THIRD AND WE GO DOWN THE LIST.
AND AT SOME POINT WE RUN OUTTA MONEY BECAUSE IF, EVEN IF WE WENT TO THE MAXIMUM, UH, TAX RATE THAT WE CAN HAVE WITHOUT AN ELECTION, IT'S 5 CENTS.
THAT DOESN'T GENERATE ENOUGH MONEY TO FUND THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
AND EVERYBODY LISTENING NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
SO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS LISTEN AND FIGURE OUT WHERE IT IS AND WHERE THAT FALLS ON THE PRIORITY LEVEL.
WE'VE GOTTA, WE'VE GOTTA FUND THE, THE JAIL.
NOTHING ELSE MUCH MATTERS PAST THAT.
THEN WE GO TO THE SECOND PLUS SECOND PRIORITY, AND THEN WE MOVE ON DOWN THE LIST.
AND SO IT'S OUR JOB, AND I APPRECIATE THE, THE THE POINTS YOU'RE BRINGING UP.
THEY'LL BE GOOD POINTS FROM EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM THAT SAYS, I NEED THIS IN MY DEPARTMENT.
AND THEN WE HAVE TO SIT HERE AND SAY, HMM, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO FUND THAT? IS IT OR IS IT ON THAT PRIORITY LIST? AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO DO.
SO THERE, THERE'S NOTHING PERSONAL, THERE'S NOTHING I, TO YOU, IT'S PERSONAL FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO FUND EVERYTHING THAT'S ON HERE.
SO WE TAKE THE INFORMATION AS YOU HEAR, AS YOU'RE HERE AND, AND, UH, UH, VERY WELL NOTED, VERY WELL PRESENTED FROM, FROM EVERYBODY THAT WILL, THAT WILL STAND UP HERE TODAY.
AND THEN SOMEWHERE IN DOWN THE LINE, WE HAVE TO MAKE A JUDGMENT OF CAN WE AFFORD TO DO THAT IN THIS BUDGET CYCLE? DO WE HAVE THE MONEY TO DO THAT IN THIS BUDGET CYCLE OR WOULD IT BE MORE BENEFICIAL FOR US TO GIVE, UH, THAT MONEY IN ANOTHER AREA, PLACE IT.
AND SO THERE'S, THERE'S NOTHING PERSONAL TO, TO YOUR EMPLOYEES.
WE UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE GREAT EMPLOYEES THAT SERVE THE PUBLIC WELL, AND THE POINTS THAT YOU'RE MAKING WILL BE TAKEN INTO, INTO CONSIDERATION AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO DON'T, DON'T MISUNDERSTAND AT ALL.
AND, AND AS, AS A CAVEAT FOR THAT, I WOULD, I WOULD ASK IF, IF IT'S NOT FUNDED OUT OF FUND 10, LIKE MM-HMM.
WE HAVE, UH, FUND 57, WHICH IS THE TECHNOLOGY FUND THAT ACCORDING TO CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURES, WE CAN FUND THOSE POSITIONS OUT OF THAT, WHICH THAT'S YEAH.
EXCLUSIONARY JUST TO THAT OUR COURT.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING WE DON'T WANT TO DO BECAUSE NOT ALL THE COURTS HAVE, UH, MONIES IN THERE BECAUSE THAT'S MONEY THAT COMES OFF TICKETS TO PUT INTO THAT SPECIAL FUND.
UH, BUT WE WOULD ASK THAT YOU CONSIDER IF IT'S NOT OUT OF FUND 10, THAT WE COULD STILL MOVE FORWARD WITH FUNDING IT OUT OF 57, UH, WHICH IS ALLOWED UNDER THE LAW TO BE DONE VERY WELL.
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A, DO A DIVE ON FUND 57 AND SEE IF WE CAN ACCOMMODATE YOUR REQUEST THROUGH THAT.I'M SORRY, I THINK WE SHOULD DO A DIVE ON FUND 57 AND SEE IF WE CAN ACCOMMODATE THE REQUEST THROUGH THAT.
THE OTHER THING THAT WE HAVE TO DO, UM, IT'S A, IT'S A DELICATE BALANCING ACT THAT WE HAVE TO DO IS, IS TRY TO KEEP THINGS, TRY TO KEEP THINGS ON EVEN KEEL.
UH, A JILLION TIMES IN, IN MY EARLY YEARS AS COMMISSIONER, WE WOULD APPROVE SOMETHING ON A TUESDAY AND ON THURSDAY SOMEBODY ELSE IS BACK IN HERE AND SAY, WELL, YOU DID THIS OVER HERE.
NOW WE NEED THIS OVER HERE BECAUSE WE'RE, WE DO THE SAME.
SO IT'S A DELICATE BOUNCING ACT THAT WE HAVE HERE.
I'M JUST TELLING YOU ALL THOSE THINGS SO THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE POSITION THAT WE'RE PLACED IN HERE, WE'RE NOT THE ONES THAT SAY, WELL, YOU CAN HAVE THIS AND YOU CAN HAVE THAT.
WE'RE SITTING HERE WITH A FINITE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO SPEND AND UH, WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THAT MONEY'S GOING.
JUDGE GRIS, WHERE IS GONNA BE BEST JUDGE? THANK YOU FOR, UH, BUT, BUT THANK YOU.
UH, IF YOU COULD JUST BE BRIEF WITH THIS, 'CAUSE WE NEED TO MOVE TO THE SHERIFF.
UM, ARTICLE 1 0 2 0.0173, JUSTICE COURT, ADMINIS ASSISTANCE AND TECHNOLOGY FUND.
UM, SECTION B SAYS THAT THE MONEY CAN BE USED FOR, UM, IT TELL WHAT SECTIONS IT CAN BE USED FOR.
AND B ONE IS THE COST OF PROVIDING COURT PERSONNEL, INCLUDING SALARIES AND BENEFITS FOR THE COURT PERSONNEL.
THAT SHOULD ALLOW US, I MEAN MY, MY COURT HAS, I BELIEVE THIS WAS AT THE END OF TWENTY TWO, A HUNDRED SIXTY $7,000 IN THE TECHNOLOGY FUND.
UM, I THINK THE, UM, BUMP WOULD BE ABOUT 9,000 FOR MY STAFF.
UM, SO THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT THERE TO FUND TOWARDS THAT.
SO 57, UM, FUND 57 WOULD BE A A, I MEAN, PER THE STATUTE ALLOWS FOR US TO USE THAT MONEY FOR THAT.
SO THAT COULD BE A CONSIDERATION THERE.
JUST GOING TO, UM, COMMISSIONER HOLT, YOUR QUESTION ABOUT THE LANGUAGE.
I MEAN, LIKE JUDGE DEAN WAS SAYING, WE HAVE TO GIVE THESE PEOPLE THEIR RIGHTS AND ESPECIALLY IN CRIMINAL SITUATIONS AND, AND WE CAN'T USE THE LANGUAGE LINE THROUGH OUR WINDOWS AT THE, AT THE, YOU KNOW, AT OUR, AT OUR COURTHOUSES.
I MEAN, WE CAN USE THAT IN THE COURTROOM AND WE'RE SUPPOSED TO USE IT IN THE COURTROOM.
UM, BUT JUST OUR PEOPLE TALKING AT THE WINDOWS, THE SPANISH SPEAKING PEOPLE WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THEIR ISSUES, MOSTLY ON THE CRIMINAL SIDE, BUT IT COULD BE ON THE CIVIL AS WELL.
THAT'S WHERE WE NEED THAT BILINGUAL PERSON TO ACTUALLY INTERACT AS A CUSTOMER SERVICE SO THAT THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, KNOW THEIR RIGHTS AND, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THAT THROUGH AT THE WINDOW.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHY IT'S DIFFERENT, I BELIEVE, THAN WHAT YOU WERE, WHAT YOU WERE SAYING ON THE BILINGUAL SIDE.
MY POINT ON THAT IS JUST THAT IF I DON'T HAVE ANYONE WITH A CDL, I'VE GOTTA OUTSOURCE TO A TRANSPORT COMPANY TO HAUL MATERIAL IN ROCK FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER.
THEREFORE I HAVE TO HIRE PEOPLE WITH CDLS.
THAT'S, THAT'S MY POINT THERE.
I THINK WE, WE, WE, WE DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND THAT.
AND THANK YOU AND THANK YOU ALL FOR BRINGING THIS UP IN A MINUTE AND MAKING US AND HAVING US UNDERSTAND THAT.
WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON.
I WAS JUST WAITING NINE ONE QUESTION, UH, ON THOSE STATUTES AS FAR AS THE CUSTOMER SERVICE DESK, I, THAT'S THE WRONG TERMINOLOGY.
BUT JUDGE GRISSOM HAD MENTIONED ABOUT THE STATUTES AND BEING REQUIRED TO PROVIDE THE TRANSLATOR.
DOES THAT APPLY TO OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS AT THE COUNTER OR IS THAT ONLY WHEN YOU'RE IN COURT OR THAT'S COURT PROCEEDINGS AND THAT'S A STATE LAW OR FED OR PARKER COUNTY, OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? STATE.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CERTIFIED IN THE COURTROOM.
IF YOU'RE IN A COURT PROCEEDING, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CERTIFIED, WE CAN'T USE OUR STAFF TO COME IN THERE.
UM, AND, AND DO THAT, THAT'S WHAT THE LAW LINE IS.
JUDGE WAS SAYING, I USE IT MORE MAGISTRATE, UHHUH,
'CAUSE WE CAN PUT THE PHONE UP ON, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND ON THE BENCH AND DO THAT IMPOSSIBLE TO DO THROUGH THE WINDOWS JUST TO TALK IT TO PEOPLE.
AND IT'S NOT REQUIRED AT THAT POINT.
SO IT'S NOT REQUIRED STATUTORILY.
SO IF I DIDN'T SPEAK THE PREDOMINANT LANGUAGE IN THE COUNTRY I'M IN, IT MIGHT BEHOOVE ME TO BRING A TRANSLATOR OR SOMEBODY THAT DOES IF I'M FACING CRIMINAL OR CIVIL MATTER WITH A COURT.
I THINK WE'RE GETTING INTO A YEAH, WE POLITICAL ISSUE.
I I AGREE WITH YOU BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW, I BUT WE GET IT ALL THE TIME.
YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND WE FEEL LIKE AS CUSTOMER SERVICE INDUSTRY THAT WE'RE IN, THAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THOSE PEOPLE.
THAT WOULD BE THE OBLIGATION OF THE COURT.
THAT WOULD BE THE OBLIGATION OF THE COURT, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN.
[01:45:01]
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.WE DO HAVE A SPECIAL REVENUE FUND, IF ANY OF THE COURTS, WHETHER IT BE CCL DISTRICT, UM, JPS THAT NEED AN INTERPRETER, WE HAVE A SPECIAL FUND WHERE IT'S COLLECTED OFF OF COURT FEES, UM, THAT WE CAN UTILIZE AND WE HAVE FUNDS BUDGETED THERE TO UTILIZE, UM, FOR INTERPRETER SERVICES AND COURT PROCEEDINGS.
[I.I. Salaries and Benefits for PCSO. (Becky McCullough / Judge Deen) (Part 2 of 2)]
WE'RE READY FOR YOU.AND FOR THE RECORD, WE ARE ON ITEM I ON SALARIES AND BENEFITS FOR PARKER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
THIS IS GONNA GO IN LINE WITH OUR WHOLE REQUEST AND MOSTLY FOR OUR, UH, PERSONNEL REQUEST AND OUR SALARY REQUEST.
UH, WE KNOW WE'RE A BIG BITE OF THE PIE EVERY YEAR.
AND, UH, JUST SOME THINGS THAT I WANNA, OKAY, THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE, WE JUDGE OURSELVES BY.
UM, IT'S A PRIORITY CALLS OUR PRIORITY.
ONE CALLS OUR RESPONSE TIMES TWO, THOSE PRIORITY ONE CALLS.
THOSE ARE YOUR IN PROGRESS CALLS.
THESE ARE THE, THESE ARE THE TIMES WHEN THE PEOPLE ARE HYSTERICAL AND THEY NEED YOU.
THIS IS LIGHTS AND SIREN AND WE'RE JUST GONNA GET THERE.
AND THIS IS, THIS IS HISTORICALLY HOW WE'VE DONE SINCE WE GOT OUR NEW COMPUTER CAD SYSTEM IN 2015.
THESE NUMBERS ARE PRETTY EASY TO RUN.
AND YOU CAN SEE IN THAT SECOND COLUMN, THE NUMBER'S IN BLUE.
THAT'S BEEN OUR RESPONSE TIMES HISTORICALLY SINCE WE STARTED, UH, LOGGING THESE.
UH, THAT'S THE LAG IN THE DISPATCH TIME.
THAT'S GENERALLY A MINUTE, LITTLE OVER A MINUTE PLUS THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES THAT DEPUTY TO GET THAT CALL AND THEN DRIVE TO WHERE HE NEEDS TO GO OR SHE NEEDS TO GO.
UH, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE WE, WE GOT BETTER OVER THE YEARS.
WE HAD A FEW HICCUPS IN 19 AND 20, UH, OR 21 WITH COVID.
UH, YOU KNOW, AT FIRST WE WERE DRINKING THE KOOL-AID LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, AND WE HAD TO ASK A LOT MORE CALLS.
AND THAT SLOWED US DOWN, UH, THE CYBER ATTACKS THAT, THAT CRIPPLED US.
UH, 22, WE GOT BACK ONLINE, KIND OF THAT 11 MINUTE MARK TOTAL, WHICH WE THINK IS GOOD FOR 900 SQUARE MILE COUNTY.
AND YOU HAVE TO FIGURE, UH, WITH THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE MOVING IN, THE ROADS ARE GETTING MORE CONGESTED.
AT WHAT POINT IN TIME DO WE KIND OF HIT THAT NUMBER WHERE IT SAID, HEY, WE CAN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN WHAT WE'RE DOING.
UH, WE DIDN'T KNOW IF WE WERE THERE.
I HAD MY CAPTAIN RUN THE NUMBERS FOR THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, AND NOW THAT'S NOT AS GOOD AS WE GOT.
WE GOT THOSE NUMBERS DOWN ANOTHER 20% THIS YEAR.
HOW DID YOU DO THAT? THERE'S A LOT OF REASONS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE, I NEED TO THANK OUR PATROL FOLKS, UH, FOR BEING PROACTIVE, BEING IN THE AREAS THEY THINK THEY NEED TO BE THEIR SUPERVISORS FOR MAKING SURE THEY'RE THERE, OUR COMMUNICATIONS PERSONNEL, UH, FOR JUST GETTING THAT INFORMATION OUT TO THEM IN A GREAT QUICK MANNER.
AND PROBABLY THE, THE MOST IMPORTANT, UH, PART OF THIS EQUATION IS THIS GOVERNING BODY RIGHT HERE.
UH, THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT GOT THOSE NUMBERS DOWN FOR US, GIVEN US WHAT WE NEED, PEOPLE, EQUIPMENT, UH, WHICH IT'S A LOT, BUT, UH, Y'ALL ARE DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT.
WE HAVE A GREAT STAFF, GREAT FOLKS, UH, THAT THEY DO A LOT.
AND, UM, AND I THINK MOST OF 'EM ARE HAPPY TO DO IT, BUT, UH, AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE DONE.
I THINK WE'RE GONNA GET THAT DOWN EVEN MORE.
YOU CAN GET, GET DOWN THAT LOW AND STAY THAT LOW.
WE'RE GONNA HOPE TO EVERY DAY WE TRY TO GET BETTER AND BETTER.
SO YES, AND IT IS EVEN WITH THE POPULATION AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE ON THE CONGESTED ROADS JUST LIKE Y'ALL ARE, AND WE KNOW IT'S A LOT.
BUT, UH, THE EXTRA FOLKS THAT WE ASK FOR, OBVIOUSLY THAT HELPS.
WE GET 'EM OUT THERE AND WE CAN STAGE 'EM IN AREAS OR WE THINK THEY'RE GONNA BE PROBLEM AREAS AND WE KNOW WHERE THOSE ARE.
THOSE DEPUTIES KNOW WHERE THOSE ARE.
THOSE SUPERVISORS KNOW WHERE THEY THEY ARE.
SO JUST GETTING THEM CLOSE TO WHERE WE THINK THE PROBLEMS ARE GONNA BE HELPS.
SO 910 SQUARE MILE COUNTY WHERE CITIES CANNOT ANNEX AS THEY USED TO.
OBVIOUSLY IT STAYS ON OUR BOOKS
[01:50:01]
WHERE YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE TO POLICE THAT 30 PEOPLE ROUGHLY A DAY MOVING HERE, THE DENSITY IS GROWING.60% OF THE GROWTH IS IN THOSE ET JS.
AND SO THAT IS PUTTING MORE OF A BURDEN ON US THAN IT IS THE CITIES.
AND SO YOU HAVE IN, IN THAT SITUATION WITH ALL THAT YOU SAID, TOOK IT DOWN 20%, THAT'S STAGGERING.
IT WAS, UH, IT WAS VERY SURPRISING TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS.
I WAS VERY, VERY PLEASED WITH THAT.
AND, UH, SO WE HAVE A GREAT STAFF, STAGGERING STAFF AWAY FROM THE DEPUTIES ALL THE WAY UP TO MY CHIEF DEPUTY.
WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A GREAT TEAM, BUT, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF LED BY Y'ALL.
WELL, AND ANOTHER THING TO POINT OUT IS, AND YOU SAID IT, THESE ROADS ARE NOT THE SAME ROADS THAT THEY WERE DRIVING ON.
THEY GOT WAY MORE TRAFFIC ON THEM AND YOU'RE, YOU REDUCED THAT NUMBER THAT MUCH.
WELL, WELL, I, I WANTED TO THANK Y'ALL FOR THAT BECAUSE THAT Y'ALL ARE DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE.
SO THAT, THAT WAS THE MAIN POINT.
AGAIN, THAT'S HOW WE JUDGE OURSELVES.
SO WE KNOW WE'RE DOING SOME THINGS CORRECTLY.
UM, THE REST IS, THERE'S, I THINK, UH, COMMISSIONER HOLT LAST YEAR WANTED TO TALK TO US ABOUT OUR NUMBERS.
OUR FOLKS THAT WE'RE LEAVING ARE LOSING OUR, THIS ONE'S KIND OF HARD.
Y'ALL DON'T HAVE THIS INFORMATION, NOT IN THIS, IN THIS FORMAT, BUT, UH, YOU CAN SEE THE BLOCKS THERE BY FISCAL YEAR.
THE NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT HAVE SERVICE, UH, FROM ZERO TO TWO YEARS, TWO TO FIVE AND ON UP, AND WHERE A MAJORITY OF OUR PATROL FOLKS ARE, WHERE THEY FALL IN THERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, YOU LOOK IN THAT 10 TO 15 YEAR RANGE AND, UM, WE DON'T HAVE THAT MANY.
WHICH BASICALLY IT INDICATES TO US, WE, WE CAN GET THE FOLKS IN THE DOOR.
WE HAVE A VERY GOOD STARTING COMPETITIVE PAY.
WE GET 'EM HERE AND WE GET 'EM TRAINED, AND THEN THEY HAVE TO START LOOKING AT THEIR FUTURE.
WHERE ARE THEY GONNA BE IN TWO YEARS, SEVEN YEARS, 12 YEARS? AND UNFORTUNATELY, OUR SCALES KIND OF FLATTEN OUT COMPARED TO THESE OTHER FOLKS.
AND WE'RE IN THE METROPLEX MARKET.
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THAN THAT, WE'RE IN THE WEATHERFORD PD MARKET RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM US.
AND THEY'VE ADOPTED THE LARGE SCALE FROM THE METROPLEX.
AND WHAT BECKY TALKED TO YOU ABOUT, UH, BEFORE, THAT DOESN'T GET US UP TO WHERE WEATHERFORD IS.
IT DOESN'T GIVE US EQUITY WITH WEATHERFORD.
IT GETS US ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THE WAY THERE.
AND WE KNOW WE WILL NEVER BE ON A PAR WITH WEATHERFORD.
WE KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA ASK FOR THAT, BUT WE DO HAVE TO GET CLOSE.
WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR PEOPLE THERE.
IF WE KNOW WE CAN GET 'EM HERE FROM SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS, MAYBE UP TO THAT 10, THAT, THAT, WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA HAVE 'EM FOR THEIR CAREER.
THEY'RE GONNA, THEY'RE GONNA BE BOUGHT INTO THIS SYSTEM AND, UH, AND WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE 'EM.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE GOTTA STRIVE TO GET TO.
SO THE STARTING PAY IS GREAT, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO TRAIN EVERYBODY AND THEN OUTFIT THESE OTHER AGENCIES WITH SOME REALLY GOOD FOLKS.
WE WANT THE CITIZENS OF PARKER COUNTY TO BENEFIT FROM THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE TRAINING.
AND I KNOW IT'S AN EXPENSIVE DEAL.
UH, IT'S A LOT OF MONEY, BUT WITHOUT PUBLIC SAFETY.
WHAT ELSE DO WE HAVE THAT BOTTOM NUMBER IN RED? THE AVERAGE TENURE OF OUR PATROL DEPUTIES, THE ONES ON THE STREET ANSWERING THE CALLS IS LESS THAN TWO YEARS.
THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE GONNA COME TO YOUR HOUSE, LIGHTS AND SIREN.
AND WHEN, WHEN THAT CALL GOES OUT TO SAVE SOMEBODY, AND THEY'RE GONNA DO A GREAT JOB.
THOSE MEN AND WOMEN, THEY'RE VERY DEDICATED FOLKS.
BUT SOMETIMES EXPERIENCE, YOU JUST CAN'T BUY.
AND YOU WANT, SOMETIMES YOU WANT THOSE DEPUTIES WITH 7, 8, 10 OR 12 YEARS, YOU KNOW, SHOWING UP ALSO.
SO I JUST PUT SOME DIFFERENT THINGS HERE TOGETHER.
UM, THESE ARE SOME OF THE PEOPLE WE'VE LOST OVER A FEW YEARS FOR, FOR VARIOUS REASONS.
BUT THESE ARE COMMISSION FOLKS AND, UH, I MEAN, THAT'S ALWAYS GONNA HAPPEN.
PEOPLE ARE GONNA LEAVE AND SOMETIMES WE JUST, YOU JUST CAN'T HELP.
BUT WE CERTAINLY, WE DON'T LIKE IT ANY MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE.
SHERIFF DO WE HAVE A MECHANISM IN PLACE WHERE WE KIND OF FIGURE OUT WHY THEY LEFT AS BEST AS POSSIBLE, WHERE WE CAN CATEGORIZE 'EM BETWEEN RETIREMENT, UM, TOOK A HIGHER POSITION SOMEWHERE ELSE, ET CETERA? I, I HAVEN'T GOT THAT.
WE, WE HAVE ANOTHER LIST THERE.
UH, BUT IT'S, IT'S NOT ALL ENCOMPASSING, BUT IT IS SOMEWHAT, AND IT'S A COMBINATION OF ALL THE ABOVE.
JUST NATURAL ATTRITION, YOU KNOW, HIGHER PAYING JOBS AND JUST SOME PEOPLE GETTING OUT OF THE BUSINESS.
YOU KNOW, THE AFTER COVID THINGS CHANGED AND, UH, THE SENTIMENT THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, YOU KNOW, UH, WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT, SOME OF THAT HAS CHANGED.
SO SOME FOLKS ARE JUST FINDING OTHER THINGS TO DO.
BUT, UM, IT'S A COMBINATION OF ALL THE ABOVE.
THIS ISN'T EVERYBODY WHO LEFT FOR A HIGHER PAYING JOB IN LAW ENFORCEMENT.
HOW DO YOUR DEPUTIES HANDLE A, A, A CALL? THEY GO OUT THERE AND IT'S SPANISH SPEAKING PEOPLE.
[01:55:01]
WE HAVE SOME SPANISH SPEAKING FOLKS, AND IF THEY'RE ON SHIFT, THEN WE'LL SEND THEM THERE.BUT, UH, OUR OTHER AGENCIES MAY HAVE 'EM.
AND THEN SOMETIMES WE JUST GET THROUGH AND THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE APPS ON THEIR PHONES TOO, THAT TRANSLATION APPS.
AND, UH, NORMALLY THERE'S SOMEBODY CLOSE BY THAT CAN SPEAK SOME ENGLISH, UH, YOU KNOW, OR AT LEAST CLOSE ENOUGH.
SOMETIMES THE KIDS ARE REAL GOOD AT, AT BEING BILINGUAL.
USUALLY SOMEBODY IN THAT FAMILY CAN SPEAK ENGLISH.
USUALLY THERE IS, AND IF NOT, THERE, THERE ARE SOURCES ALSO.
SO WE DO HAVE SOME FOLKS OUT THERE.
AND, UH, AND THE APPS ON THE PHONES ARE PRETTY GOOD NOW.
I THINK THIS ONE'S GONNA BE REALLY HARD TO READ, BUT THIS IS, AND I THINK THIS ONE'S IN YOUR BOOK.
IT JUST KIND OF HAS THE, THE TOP LINE THERE, KIND OF IN THE LIGHT GREEN.
THAT'S HARD TO SEE THE COLOR, BUT THE TOP LINE IS OUR CURRENT PAY, AND THEN THE, THE PROPOSED ONE BELOW THAT WOULD BE, UH, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN.
AND THEN ON THE FAR RIGHT COLUMN, YOU HAVE, UH, WEATHERFORD PD IS WHERE THEY TOP OUT, UH, IN A, IN A LIKE POSITION.
UM, THE PATROL OFFICER AT WEATHERFORD PD, THEY TOP OUT, I THINK IT'S ALMOST 96,000, BUT THEY DO THAT NINE YEARS.
SO CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW, UH, A NINE YEAR DEPUTY WOULD BE, WAS THAT $19,000 BELOW WHAT WEATHERFORD WOULD BE AT NINE YEARS.
UM, EVEN IF WE MAX OUT, WE STILL WON'T BE AS HIGH AS THEY ARE, BUT WE KNOW WE'LL BE COMPETITIVE.
AND THAT'S ALL WE'RE TRYING TO BE IS JUST COMPETITIVE.
UH, THE FOLKS WE HAVE, A LOT OF 'EM WANNA WORK AT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, BUT THEY ALSO NEED TO MAKE A LIVING AND PUT THAT FOOD ON THE TABLE.
LIKE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, COMMISSIONER HOLT, THINGS ARE QUITE EXPENSIVE.
SO AGAIN, WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR PARODY, JUST TRYING TO GET CLOSE SO WE CAN KEEP OUR FOLKS, AND I CAN SIT HERE AND I CAN GO THROUGH ALL THIS AND JUST TELL YOU EVERYTHING I CAN.
THAT'S, THAT'S WEATHERFORD SCALE.
AND THIS IS ONE KIND OF COMBINED SHOWING WEATHERFORD AND OURS AND OUR PROPOSED.
SO, UM, AGAIN, UH, MONEY WILL FIX A LOT OF PROBLEMS. COMMISSIONERS,
I, I WISH I COULD PRINT SOME UP.
ARE YOU REQUESTING MORE RADAR UNITS? WE ARE.
WE'RE GOING WITH MORE AGAIN, WHEN WE HAVE THAT EXTRA TIME.
WELL, WE ARE, WE DEFINITELY, WE WE'RE NOT ANSWERING CALLS EVERY, EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY.
AND WE'D LIKE TO TAKE THAT TIME TO DO PROACTIVE POLICE WORK, WHETHER THAT'S CRIMINAL AND INTERDICTION OUR TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT AS WELL.
BUT, BUT AGAIN, LIKE WHEN WE ASK FOR PEOPLE, UH, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT ASKING, YOU KNOW, FOR A NEW DEPUTY, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE WORKING HARDER THIS YEAR THAN THEY DID LAST YEAR.
UH, I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, IF YOU DON'T GIVE US ANY NEW PEOPLE IN PATROL, WE'RE GONNA ANSWER EVERY CALL THAT WE GET.
IF YOU CUT OUR PATROL DIVISION, WE'RE GONNA GO ANSWER EVERY CALL THAT WE GET AND THEY NEED TO GO OUT THERE, THEY'RE GONNA DO IT.
AND THE AMOUNT OF PROACTIVE TIME THAT WE CAN SPEND IN CRIMINAL AND INTERDICTION OR TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT, THAT WILL GO DOWN.
UH, BUT WE DON'T ASK FOR FOLKS.
WE JUST, BECAUSE WE THINK WE NEED 'EM, BECAUSE THE POPULATION'S GROWING.
WE'RE GROWING, WE'RE ASKING FOR FOLKS TO GET THESE NUMBERS DOWN.
CRIME IS, IS IS PRETTY FLAT IN PARKER COUNTY.
WE'RE NOT GONNA STOP FIGHTING THAT WAR, BUT WE WILL NEVER WIN.
AND WITH THAT BECOMES A LOT OF, A LOT OF THIEVING, YOU KNOW.
BUT, UH, AS FAR AS MAJOR CRIME, WE DO A PRETTY GOOD JOB.
WE'VE GOT SOME GREAT FOLKS HERE.
SO YOU HEARD MY PREVIOUS SPEECH.
HEAR AND, AND I, AND I APPRECIATE THAT.
I WANNA TELL YOU SOMETHING THOUGH.
UM, WHEN, WHEN SHERIFF ER, UH, TOOK OFFICE, WE HAD A CONVERSATION AND, AND, UM, IT, IT, IT STILL STANDS TODAY.
I DON'T HAVE TO SAY IT AGAIN, BUT I'M GOING TO, AND THAT IS THAT, UH, HE WILL TAKE THE MONEY THAT WE ARE ABLE TO GIVE HIS DEPARTMENT AND DO THE BEST JOB THAT HE CAN WITH IT.
AND THAT'S THE, THAT'S BEEN THE CASE, UH, FROM A SHERIFF AS LONG AS I'VE BEEN HERE.
AND I APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE WHATEVER THE, WHATEVER THE AMOUNT MAY BE, THEY'RE GONNA TAKE THAT AND DO THE BEST JOB THAT THEY POSSIBLY CAN.
AND I, I'LL TELL YOU THAT THE, THE RESPONSE TIME, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CAN GET MUCH BETTER THAN WHAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW, BUT, UH, I'M SURE WITH MORE PEOPLE THAT CAN, YOU CAN GET THERE.
BUT I, I WANNA COMMEND YOU AND YOUR DEPARTMENT FOR THAT, UH, THAT WORK TO GET THAT DOWN.
I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S, IT'S UNREASONABLE FOR ANYBODY TO WAIT NINE MINUTES FOR IN, IN THE COUNTY, THE, UH, COUNTY TO HAVE A, A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER SHOW UP AT THEIR HOUSE.
SO I COMMEND YOUR OFFICE FOR THAT AND I COMMEND YOU FOR, UH, DOING A GOOD JOB, ALL OF YOU.
WELL, AGAIN, IT'S A TEAM AND Y'ALL ARE PART OF THAT TEAM.
AND, AND I, I APPRECIATE Y'ALL, Y'ALL HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT THE BEST PROPONENTS OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND PROBABLY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
SO, UH, IT'S JUST, I KNOW Y'ALL DO EVERYTHING YOU
[02:00:01]
CAN.WE'RE NATIONALLY, BUT IT'S OKAY.
SO
[I.K. Additional Employee Salary Requests and/or New Positions. (Becky McCullough / Judge Deen) (Part 2 of 2)]
SO THE REST OF THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE REQUEST IS THREE ADDITIONAL TELECOMMUNICATORS.UM, THERE WAS A REQUEST TO RECLASS A DISPATCH SUPERVISOR TO A SERGEANT.
I WAS JUST TOLD THAT HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN.
BUT A NEW TELE NEW TELECOMMUNICATOR POSITION, WE WOULD BUDGET THE SALARY AT 56,314 AND WITH SALARY AND BENEFITS.
AND AGAIN, I JUST WANNA POINT OUT ON THE MEDICAL LINE, WE DO BUDGET HIGH, BUT THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO FOR BUDGET.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO COVER IT WHEN THE EXPENSE SHOWS UP.
SO FOR, UM, SO EACH POSITION, THE TOTAL COST WOULD BE $94,096.
AN ADDITIONAL CAP LICENSE THAT WAS REQUESTED FOR EACH ONE OF THEM IS AN ADDITIONAL $195 EACH.
FOR A TOTAL FOR ALL THREE POSITIONS WOULD BE 312,000 6 0 4.
THERE ALSO ALSO REQUESTING TWO NEW INVESTIGATORS.
UM, THE SALARY WE WOULD BUDGET OUT IS 87,941.
UM, WE ALWAYS BUDGET FOR THE CERT CELL UNIFORM, ALL THOSE THINGS.
UM, SO EACH POSITION WOULD COME IN AT 1 37, 2 67.
THE ADDITIONAL CAP FOR EACH OF THOSE POSITIONS, IF, IF APPROVED, IS AN ADDITIONAL 57,407.
SO IF BOTH POSITIONS WERE APPROVED FOR THE WHOLE PACKAGE, IT'S 3 89, 3 48 FOR PATROL DEPARTMENT 5 63, WE WOULD BUDGET THIS.
AGAIN WITH ALL THE BENEFITS, UH, FOR THE POSITION ALONE, IT'S 1 10, 1 64.
ALL THE ADDITIONAL CAP TO COME ALONG WITH EACH POSITION WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL $120,098 FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF ALL THREE 690,786.
THIS IS THEIR COURTHOUSE SECURITY.
AND MARK, OR THE SHERIFF MAY WANNA SPEAK ABOUT THIS.
UM, I KNOW IN WORKSHOPS THEY SAID THIS WASN'T THEIR REQUEST.
THIS WAS A REQUEST THAT CAME FROM A SECURITY COMMITTEE.
UM, BUT IT WOULD TAKE THEM TWO ADDITIONAL SECURITY OFFICERS TO MEET THAT REQUEST.
THE SALARY WOULD BE BUDGETED AT 62,181.
THE TOTAL EMPLOYEE COST IS 1 0 5, 3 0 1.
ADDITIONAL CAP IS AN ADDITIONAL 11,000 6 63 FOR A TOTAL INCREASE OF 2 33 9 28.
UM, DEPARTMENT 5 68, WHICH IS TRANSPORT.
THESE ARE THE TWO POSITIONS THAT THEY ACTUALLY WERE GRANTED TO HIRE DURING FISCAL 24.
AND THESE POSITIONS HAVE BEEN FILLED, BUT WE DO NEED TO CONTINUE THE FUNDING FOR THEM FOR FISCAL 25.
UM, AND THEY ARE REQUESTING ADDITIONAL CAP OF A TAHOE, THE OUTFITTING AND THE RADIO.
SO THAT'S 74,464 FOR EACH OF THOSE CAPS, UH, OR RIGHT.
FOR CAPITAL ITEMS. SO A TOTAL FOR THIS WOULD BE 3 56 255.
WE'VE ALREADY, AND WE'D ALREADY, WE'VE ALREADY HIRED PEOPLE FOR THOSE JOBS.
BUT WE NEED TO FUND THEM NOW FOR FISCAL 25.
'CAUSE THEY USED JUST KIND OF THEIR FLUFF MONEY.
SO, AND THEN WE, WE DISCUSSED THAT WHEN THAT OCCURRED.
AND THAT, UH, TRANSPORT THE, THAT DOESN'T HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE, UH, JUVENILE STUFF.
DO YOU WANNA SPEAK ON ANY OF, ANY POSITIONS OR YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS WE'VE, ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT NO.
SO WE CAN MOVE BACK TO FUND 10.
SO DEPARTMENT 4 0 2, WHICH IS THE COUNTY JUDGE'S OFFICE.
THIS IS FOR THE NEW GRANT WRITER SLASH BUDGET ANALYST.
THAT WAS DISCUSSED IN WORKSHOPS.
SO THE SALARY REQUEST WOULD BE 85,000 WITH BENEFITS AND EVERYTHING.
THE ADDITIONAL CAP WOULD BE A TOTAL INCREASE OF 1 32 590.
WHEN YOU ADD IT ALL TOGETHER, THAT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE HAVE ON 4 0 2 MM-HMM.
WE HAVE A MOTION, I'M GONNA SECOND THAT.
IT'S THE GRANT WRITER SLASH BUDGET ANALYST.
SO THEY WOULD BE A GRANT WRITER FOR THE COUNTY, AND THEN THEY WOULD BE A BUDGET ANALYST TO ASSIST DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS.
WE'RE, WE'RE IN THE, WE HAVE A MOTION A SECOND.
WE'RE IN THE DISCUSSION PHASE.
I WANNA ADD SOMETHING HERE THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT IS THAT, UM, ONE OF THE KEY THINGS IS, IS THAT WHAT,
[02:05:01]
WHAT IS IN, IN THE RESOURCES NEEDED IN THE JUDGE'S OFFICE IS NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER OFFICE THAT'S IN THIS ROOM OR IN, IN THE COUNTY.BUT WHAT'S SO CRITICAL ABOUT THIS POSITION IS IT'S REALLY TWO THINGS, REALLY.
BUT ONE, IT IS, IS THE MEETING, THE REQUIREMENT THAT IS, IS STATUTORILY REQUIRED FOR THE JUDGE'S OFFICE THAT WE'RE PUTTING A BURDEN ON, UH, BRIANNA'S OFFICE AND HER RESOURCES TO TAKE THAT OFF, BUT YET COORDINATE WITH HER OFFICE TO MAKE THIS, IT IS A CRITICAL, CRITICAL POSITION TO HAVE FOR, FROM THE FINANCIAL HEALTH OF THE COUNTY TO MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING THAT.
BUT TAKING THE BURDEN OFF, BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE PUTTING SUCH A STRAIN ON THE, THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE.
UM, AND THAT'S SOMETHING I'M SURE BRIANNA COULD PROBABLY SPEAK FOR A, A WHILE ON.
UH, THE SECOND IS, IS THE, THE NUMBER OF DOLLARS AVAILABLE TO A COUNTY THAT IS GROWING AT A RATE WE ARE IN IN FIFTH IN THE NATION.
WE GO BACK AND FORTH FIFTH AND SIXTH, IS THAT NOW THERE ARE GRANTS AVAILABLE JUST NOT ONLY JUST THROUGH THE RTC, UH, FOR TRANSPORTATION, WHICH WE'RE OBVIOUSLY GONNA BE SPENDING MUCH, MUCH MORE ON THAT IN THE FUTURE.
BUT ALSO THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY AND EVERY DEPARTMENT.
THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S GRANTS THAT ARE BECOMING AVAILABLE THROUGH, UM, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH LOCALLY, THROUGH THE STATE FUNDING.
AND, AND THAT WE DO NOT EVEN HAVE A CLUE ABOUT THAT WE'RE LEARNING ABOUT THAT WOULD HELP US FINANCIALLY.
SO THIS FINANCIAL POSITION TO HELP US IN OBTAINING THOSE RESOURCES WILL BY FAR PAY FOR THIS POSITION.
UM, AND THIS IS A POSITION THAT COURT WOULD COORDINATE BETWEEN ME AND BRIANNA AND WORK TOGETHER ON.
BUT I THINK THAT WOULD, UM, FREE THAT UP.
AND I WOULD ADD ALSO THAT, UM, THE JUDICIAL SIDE OF THIS, AND THAT'S WHY I SPEAK ON WITH THE JPS AND, AND WORKING WITH THEM ON AN ASPECT OF ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS THAT I DO, UH, HAS PROBABLY GROWN TO OVER 50% OF, OF MY TIME.
AND THE OPTION OF THAT IS, IS TO STEP OUT OF THIS.
'CAUSE SOME COUNTY JUDGES DON'T DO THAT WITH POPULATIONS OUR SIZE AND THEN HIRE A STATUTORY JUDGE.
AND THAT WOULD COST ABOUT 150,000 A YEAR, WHICH WE, WE WANT DO NOT HAVE TO PAY BECAUSE, UH, THERE IS A, A MINIMUM SUBSIDY OF THAT.
AND IT DOES NOT IMPACT THE COUNTY AT ALL FOR ME TO DO THAT.
WHICH IT WOULD IF I BACKED OUT OF THAT AND THEN WOULD'VE TO, TO HIRE THAT STATUTORY JUDGE.
UH, SO WE, WE NEED THE RESOURCES.
UH, THAT'S JUST WHAT GROWTH BRINGS.
UM, SO I WOULD JUST WOULD ADD TO THAT HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS.
UH, I'M NOT PREPARED TO VOTE ON IT TODAY.
'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE GOT LAID OUT HERE RIGHT NOW.
AND I, I HONESTLY WANT TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE, IT FITS IN WHERE WE'RE GOING.
AND I'M NOT, I'M NOT COUNTER, I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING.
UH, I'M SAYING THAT LET'S WAIT, UH, TO SEE ALL THE REQUESTS BEFORE WE GO BACK AND, AND FUND THIS ONE.
I RECOGNIZE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS, JUDGE.
SHE GOT UP AND EXPLAINED IT TO US OTHER DAY.
IT SO, SO DID RANDALL THE OTHER DAY.
HE TOLD US VERY CLEARLY WHY HE NEEDED THE THINGS HE DID.
I'M JUST TRYING TO SAY IF WE CAN, IF WE COULD, UH, IF WE COULD HEAR EVERYTHING BEFORE WE ADD A POSITION, I'D BE GOOD.
I'D LIKE TO HEAR THE OTHERS FIRST TOO, BUT I'M NOT, I'M NOT, I WOULDN'T SPEAK AGAINST IT AT ALL.
UM, I, I DO HAVE A QUESTION ON PROCEDURE.
IF WE VOTE ON IT, THEORETICALLY, IF WE VOTE ON TODAY, WE IT TODAY.
VOTE IT DOWN TOMORROW, WE COULD TAKE IT BACK.
JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I, I STARTED TO POINT THAT OUT TO SOMEBODY EARLIER.
BUT, UH, I, I WANNA HEAR EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE GOT.
'CAUSE I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE THE PRIORITY LIST YET.
CAN I ADD A LITTLE BIT TO THIS? SURE.
SO WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT THIS, THE THING THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION WAS GRANT WRITER.
'CAUSE I FEEL LIKE THAT'S SOMETHING THIS COUNTY'S BEEN NEEDING AND WE COULD USE.
AND I REALLY THINK A GOOD GRANT WRITER CAN MORE THAN PAY FOR THIS POSITION ON THEIR OWN.
BUT THE FIRST THING, WHEN YOU HANDED THIS TO ME, POSITION BUDGET, ANALYST COORDINATOR DIDN'T SAY GRANT WRITER IN THERE.
SO A LITTLE BIT OF MY CONCERN WOULD BE, I VOTE FOR THIS THINKING THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE FULL-TIME GRANT WRITERS HUNTING MONEY FOR THE COUNTY TO HELP ALL OF US.
AND THEN IT ENDS UP BEING A DIFFERENT POSITION THAT NOT ANSWERING TO THE COURT OR THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
BECAUSE I, WHEN I FIRST SWORE IN LAST YEAR, I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A GRANT ROUTER POSITION OVER AT THE EOC, BUT I NEVER SAW, HEARD OR STILL HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING INVOLVING GRANT WRITING FROM THAT POSITION.
SO THAT WOULD BE MY CONCERN, UH, ON, ON THIS.
BECAUSE TO ME, THE GRANT WRITING IS VERY NEEDED IN THIS COUNTY.
AND I KNOW THAT, I KNOW THAT I, I'M DOING, I'M DOING A LOT.
I'M SURE EVERY DEPARTMENT HEAD IN HERE IS DOING WHAT THEY CAN,
[02:10:01]
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I WOULD REALLY WANT IT SET UP AND THE EMPHASIS BE ON THAT POSITION FOR THAT.AND I, I JUST WANTED TO HAVE THAT OUT HERE FOR COMMUNICATE FOR CONVERSATION.
IT'S A GOOD POINT, COMMISSIONER.
BECAUSE IF, IF I MAY, JACOB YEAH, YEAH, GO AHEAD.
IF, IF, BECAUSE WHEN WE WERE DOING THIS AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT MEETING THAT NEED THAT'S BEEN TALKED ABOUT EVERY YEAR.
I'M, I'M, I VIVIDLY REMEMBER YEAR ONE WHEN YOU CAME ON.
AND, UH, THAT'S A ROLE THAT, THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN ON THAT SHOULD BE MORE COLLABORATIVE, IF YOU WILL, AND MORE FROM MY OFFICE THAT WILL MEET THAT NEED.
AND I KNOW THAT'S HARD TO UNDERSTAND BECAUSE OF JUST THE BACK OF IT IS THAT THIS BUDGET SHOULD BE SUBMITTED FROM THE COUNTY JUDGE'S OFFICE AS WE LOOKED AT THIS.
IS THIS A FULL-TIME POSITION OR NOT? BECAUSE THERE'LL BE DOWNTIME WHEN THERE, THE GRAND WRITER POSITION WAS LOOKED AT AND ADDED TO THAT BECAUSE OF THE TIMING THAT WE THINK WE LIKE THAT THEY WOULD HAVE IN THAT POSITION.
TO YOUR POINT, THIS IS GOING TO BE VERY MUCH A FULL-TIME POSITION ON GRANT WRITING.
BECAUSE IT WON'T BE ONLY THEM DOING THAT.
IT'LL BE COLLABORATING WITH THEIR OFFICE AND IT'LL BE A RESOURCE THAT WILL BE ADDED, WHETHER IT'S THROUGH MY OFFICE OR HERS.
BUT IT NEEDS TO BE THROUGH MINE BECAUSE IT'S STATUTORY REQUIREMENT OF THE COUNTY JUDGE'S OFFICE.
BUT TO, TO YOUR POINT DIRECTLY, IT WILL BE A FULL-TIME GRANT ROUTE OF POSITION FOR SURE.
AND, AND THAT'S THAT WE, WE, WE FLEW THIS OUT QUICK AND DIDN'T ADD THAT.
THE LAST VERSION I SAW WAS BUDGET AND GRANT COORDINATOR.
THAT WAS THE I KNOW WE BOTH COMMENT AND WE READ IT.
WE'LL MAKE SURE THE TITLE IS CORRECT.
AND, AND WHAT YOU JUST SAID TO MAKE SURE I HEARD YOU CORRECT, JUDGE, IS THAT STATUTORILY A GRANT WRITER DISPOSITION NEEDS TO BE IN THE COUNTY JUDGE'S? NO, STATUTORILY.
THE, THE BUDGET, THE BUDGET THAT'S SUBMITTED IS A REQUIREMENT OF THE COUNTY JUDGE'S OFFICE.
I WANNA MAKE SURE I UNDERSTOOD.
BUT FROM A, TO YOUR POINT, FROM A REQUIREMENT THAT, UH, IT CLEARLY WILL PAY FOR ITSELF FROM A GRANT WRITER POSITION, UH, WOULD BE A FULL-TIME POSITION AS WELL, THAT WOULD COVER THAT FROM EVERY ASPECT OF THE COUNTY.
NOT JUST EOC, BUT EVERYONE THAT WOULD ACTUALLY WORK WITH EACH OF YOU AND IF THERE'S A FUNDS OUT THERE AVAILABLE WOULD WORK WITH Y'ALL AS WELL.
JUDGE, IF I MAY, WE'VE HAD SOME POSITIONS IN THE PAST, AND I THINK MS. MCCULLOUGH'S ACTUALLY ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT FEELS THAT WHERE THERE'S KIND OF A DUAL ROLE WHERE YOU'RE A TREASURER AND THE HR DIRECTOR AS A TREASURER, YOU'RE AN ELECTED OFFICIAL.
BUT AS THE HR DIRECTOR, YOU REPORT TO US.
DO I HAVE THAT CORRECT? NO, I'M AN ELECTED OFFICIAL THAT Y'ALL DESIGNATE HR DUTIES.
TO ME, HR DUTIES IS NOT A PART OF THE TREASURER THOUGH, WAS MY UNDERSTANDING.
HR DUTIES WAS KIND OF A SEPARATE FUNCTION AS THE HR DIRECTOR.
IT WAS BEFORE, BUT THEN WHEN I BECAME ELECTED, WE JUST KEPT THE OFFICE UNDER ME.
SO I GUESS MY POINT IN THAT IS, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HERE IS SPECIFIC TO COMMISSIONER HALE'S POINT, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS REALLY CLARIFIED THAT THE BUDGET OFFICER ASPECT OF THIS POSITION DOES REPORT TO YOU, JUDGE, BUT THE GRANT WRITER PORTION OF THE POSITION REPORTS TO THE COURT AS A WHOLE.
I'D LIKE THAT SPELLED OUT HERE.
IT DOES LOOK LIKE ITEMS, WE'LL SHOOT ABOUT HALF OF THE FUNCTIONS AS FAR AS HOW MANY WORDS ARE ON THE PAPER.
FIVE THROUGH SEVEN TALKS ABOUT GRANTS AND ALL THAT, WHICH I THINK IS IMPORTANT.
I GUESS ONE QUESTION I HAVE DOESN'T NEED TO BE ANSWERED TODAY, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY FOR MS. FOWLER.
UM, YOU INDICATED THAT THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF TIME BEING SPENT BY YOUR OFFICE ON THESE BUDGET OFFICER TYPE DUTIES.
I'D LOVE TO HEAR AT SOME POINT KIND OF WHAT SOME OF YOUR GOALS AND WHAT SOME OF THE THINGS YOU COULD BE DOING FOR THE COUNTY WITH THAT TIME THAT'S FREED UP.
'CAUSE I IMAGINE YOU'VE GOT SOME PRETTY COOL IDEAS AND SOME THINGS THAT COULD REALLY HELP US IF YOU'RE NOT HAVING TO SPEND ALL OF THIS TIME ON THE BUDGET THAT YOU'RE CURRENTLY GETTING SWAMPED WITH IF GOING HOME AT NIGHT 20.
AND SO THAT IS MY GOAL, IS TO NOT SPEND AS MUCH TIME HERE.
SO, YEAH, I, I'D LIKE TO SEE THIS CLARIFIED A LITTLE BIT THAT WE HAVE A GRANT WRITER POSITION THAT REPORTS TO THE COURT, AND WE HAVE A BUDGET OFFICER THAT REPORTS TO THE JUDGE AS PER STATUTE.
WHY DON'T WE DO THIS? AND, AND, AND JUST, UM, RESPECT, AND AGAIN, COMMISSIONER TO WHAT YOU'RE ASKING, UM, IS TO GO BACK AND LET'S, LET'S REWRITE THIS TO WHERE THE, THE THE TITLE IS CORRECT TO WHAT YOU'RE VOTING ON.
AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS CLEAR REVIEW IT JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOTTING ALL THE I'S AND CROSSING ALL THE T'S.
I THINK THAT IF THERE'S ANYTHING, I MEAN, I'M READY TO VOTE ON THIS NOW, BUT AGAIN, I'M IN RESPECT OF, UH, 'CAUSE YOU, IT NOT UNREASONABLE.
I I'M READY TO VOTE ON IT AND YOU CAN GET THE PAPERWORK DONE AND GIVE
[02:15:01]
IT TO US.SO I WAS, I ONE WE DON'T LIKE IT.
IF WE DON'T LIKE IT, WE CAN VOTE AGAINST IT IN TWO OR THREE DAYS.
UM, WHAT, WHAT I WAS GONNA SEE, AND, AND THIS IS NO, THIS, THIS IS, HAS TO DO WITH NOTHING OTHER THAN WHO THIS PERSON, I GUESS ANSWERS TO.
I WANT 'EM BUDGET WISE RIGHT NOW, IF I HAVE A BUDGET QUESTION I CALL BRIANNA'S OFFICE, I WANNA BE ABLE TO CALL SOMEONE AND NOT, NOT BE BOTHERING THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE ASKING HOW MUCH MONEY I'VE GOT IN THIS, THIS LINE OR WHATEVER.
AND THAT TO, TO THAT END, I, I'D WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS PERSON, UH, REPORTS TO OUR, UH, KNOWS THAT THEY WORK FOR ALL OF US.
WE COULD HANDLE THAT BY HAVING THIS UNDER A DIFFERENT CATEGORY INSTEAD OF UNDER THE JUDGE'S CATEGORY, HAVE IT UNDER COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
THERE'S A COMMISSIONER'S COURT, UH, CATEGORY THERE TOO, UH, THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD MAKE SURE THAT WHOEVER'S IN THAT POSITION, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GONNA ANSWER TO YOU, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE GONNA RECOGNIZE THAT THEY WORK FOR EACH OF US AS WELL.
SO THAT WE COULD, UH, UH, THEN, UH, IT WAS VERY CLEAR FROM VERY CLEAR FROM THE BEGINNING THAT THAT'S, THAT PERSON IS WORKING FOR THE COURT.
AND, UH, THAT WOULD ALSO KEEP FROM, UH, JACKING YOUR BUDGET UP $132,000.
IT WOULDN'T ADD IT TO A DIFFERENT LINE THERE.
BUT, UM, TO, TO MY POINT, IF WE HAVE SOMEBODY THAT WORKS FOR, UH, THE COURT WHO'S, WHO'S ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE BUDGETARY QUESTIONS AND, AND WE SAY, I NEED YOU TO SEND ME A SPREADSHEET FOR THIS SO I CAN GET IT FROM THAT PERSON.
OR, UM, IS ABLE TO SAY, WE HAVE THIS GRANT OPPORTUNITY HERE.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THEIR WORKING FOR, FOR OUR PRECINCT AND DOING THAT, RATHER THAN, WELL, I'M BUSY OVER HERE DOING STUFF AT THE JUDGE'S OFFICE.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE WAY OF HANDLING THAT THAT I I THOUGHT ABOUT THAT MIGHT BE, MIGHT BE EASIER.
UM, BUT, UM, AGAIN, I'M, I'M GEORGE, NO DISRESPECT, BUT THERE, THERE ARE LOTS OF NEEDS HERE.
BUT DON'T WANT, I DON'T WANT ANYBODY ELSE THAT HAS AN ASK THINKING THAT WE ARE PRIORITIZING SOMETHING WE'RE DOING IN THE JUDGE'S OFFICE OR FOR THE COURT ON TOP OF, OR IN FRONT OF A NEED THAT THEY HAVE.
WE KNOW DO THIS NO MATTER WHAT.
WELL, I KNOW THAT WE NEED, I KNOW THAT WE NEED THINGS IN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, BUT I'M NOT VOTING ON THEM TODAY.
THAT'S THE REASON I'M PUTTING IT OUT THERE.
SO WITH THAT BEING, THAT BEING SAID, CAN WE AMEND THE, UH, MOTION? THERE'S MORE OF THAT TYPE OF SETUP.
SO THEY SET, THEY REPORT TO US AS COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
ON, ON WHY DON'T WE GRANT WRITING? YES.
THE UH, I WAS JUST GONNA SUGGEST WE BRING BACK THURSDAY AND, AND HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT JOB DESCRIPTION HERE, REPORTING TO COMMISSIONER'S COURT AND WITH THE OUTLINING THE, UH, THE GRANT WRITING AND REPORTING SEGMENT OF IT.
AND, AND, UH, UH, JUST, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY'S CLEAR TOO.
UH, I THINK WE'VE HAD A POSITION THERE THAT, THAT BECAME ONE OF, WELL, HERE'S THIS GRANT THAT WE GOT LAST YEAR.
WE'RE GETTING IT AGAIN THIS YEAR.
CAN YOU APPROVE THIS? IT WAS, IT WAS DUE TWO WEEKS AGO.
UH, TO, TO ONE WHO, SOMEONE WHO IS PROACTIVE AND IS OUT THERE SEEKING MONEY BECAUSE IT'S OUT THERE.
AND, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING SCORE OF WHERE WE ARE.
NOT THINGS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE BRIANNA, BUT OF NEW THINGS.
BRIAN, Y'ALL HAVE THAT WROTE UP FOR THURSDAY.
THE WORRYING THAT, UH, BECKY WOULD BE THE ONE YOU AND BECKY WITH MORNA ACTUALLY BECKY IN COORDINATION WITH CYNTHIA.
AND BASICALLY WE'RE LOOKING AT MOVING IT TO DEPARTMENT 4 0 1 AND IF IT'S GONNA BE AN APPOINTED, A NON-EXEMPT APPOINTED OFFICIAL.
WHAT ABOUT THE I'S AND CROSS THE T'S ON THIS TO ALSO SATISFY WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AS WELL.
BUT I, I, AGAIN, I WILL ADD AND, AND, AND IT, IT, THIS IS A POSITION THAT IT WILL MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF WHAT THIS, THE STATUTE IS, IS.
BUT BRIANNA, YOU GOING HOME AND, AND WORKING THE HOURS THAT YOU'RE WORKING AND CARRYING THAT BURDEN, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
IT, IT STOPS THIS, IT, IT STOPS NOW.
I'LL WITHDRAW MY SECOND, UH, COMMISSIONER IF YOU, AND LET'S BRING THIS THING BACK AND LET'S GET, LET'S GET THIS WRITTEN UP.
IT'S, IT'S REALLY MORE OF A FORMALITY OF WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE.
WE'RE NOT CHANGING ANY DESTRUCTION.
MAKING SURE THAT IT'S CLEAR TO YOU WHAT YOUR CONCERNS ARE.
THAT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO.
AND WE'RE GONNA WRITE IT UP WHERE THE TITLE IS CORRECT AND WHAT SOME OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES TO MOVE THAT.
ARE YOU GOOD WITH THAT? AND I, AND BELIEVE ME, I, I WANT THIS PASSED, BUT I'M WANTED TO WAIT UNTIL THURSDAYS VERY IMPORTANT POSITION AND I, I WITHDREW MY MOTION.
[02:20:02]
OKAY.UM, NEXT WE'LL MOVE TO DEPARTMENT FOUR 50.
THIS IS THE, UH, DISTRICT COURT'S DISTRICT CLERK'S OFFICE, UM, REQUEST OF ONE ADDITIONAL NEW EMPLOYEE.
UH, THE BUDGETED SALARY WOULD BE 55,661.
UM, THERE I HAVE THE BREAKDOWN OF ALL THE BENEFITS AND THE ADDITIONAL CAP THAT WOULD COME ALONG WITH THAT POSITION FOR A TOTAL INCREASE OF 94,574.
AND JUST COMMISSIONER WALDEN, JUST SO YOU KNOW, THEY'RE AT THE TOP IN THE GRAY.
I, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S, IF THIS WAS APPROVED, I THE TOP THE BOTTOM BOX.
SO THAT WHAT'S UP IN THE GRAY AND TOP THAT HAS THIS NEW POSITION FACTORED INTO IT.
SOMETIMES THAT NUMBER MAY BE LESS THAN WHAT THE NEW POSITION IS.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT POSSIBLY INSURANCE CHANGES THAT WERE DONE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR THAT WE'LL HAVE TO FIX THE BUDGET WITH.
WELL, THANK YOU ALL FOR LISTENING TO ALL OF OUR REQUESTS.
I, I FEEL LIKE WE KIND OF HAVE THE SAME THEME OF WE'RE BUSIER.
UM, I DON'T ENVY YOU IN YOUR DECISION MAKING THAT YOU'VE GOTTA GO THROUGH IN THIS PROCESS, BUT, UM, I WOULD NOT BE DOING MY DUTY AS THE ELECTED DISTRICT CLERK IF I DID NOT MAKE THIS REQUEST.
DONT HAVE TO APOLOGIZE FOR ASKING FOR WHAT YOU NEED.
SO I DIDN'T KNOW THERE'S ANYBODY ELSE.
UM, WE, WE REACHED OUT TO THE OFFICE OF COURT ADMINISTRATION, UM, REGARDING A WEIGHTED CASELOAD STUDY.
AND THAT'S KIND OF SOME FACTORS THAT THEY USE OF HOW MANY COURTS DO YOU NEED IN YOUR COUNTY.
AND WE'RE AT THAT POINT, I'M NOT ASKING FOR ANOTHER COURT, BUT WE DO NEED A THIRD DISTRICT COURT NOW OR IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.
UM, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S CASE WORK THAT GOES ALONG WITH OUR OFFICE.
WE'RE SEEING ABOUT A FOUR TO 6% INCREASE IN NEW CASES FILED.
UM, AND SO THAT BRINGS ADDITIONAL WORK AND THEN EVERYTHING THAT GOES INTO THAT, WELL, HOW DO WE FORM ANOTHER DISTRICT COURT? THAT'S A BIGGER DISCUSSION THAN WHAT'S WE'RE GONNA HAVE HERE TODAY.
WE'RE NOT GONNA GO THAT FAR INTO THIS.
THAT IS A LEGISLATIVE PROCESS.
UH, THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WE HAVE IN THE COUNTY OBVIOUSLY IS FUNDING AND PHYSICAL SPACE.
AND I KNOW THAT, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT THOSE OPTIONS.
UM, BUT JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'RE AT GETTING IN OUR CAPACITY AND THE CASES COMING THROUGH THE COURTS.
I GOTTA SING OUR PRAISES, SING PRAISES FOR OUR DISTRICT JUDGES.
THEY ARE, ARE VERY EFFICIENT IN RUNNING THEIR DOCKETS.
AND I DIDN'T MEAN TO CUT YOU OFF OF THAT.
I'M JUST, WHAT MY POINT IS TRYING TO MAKE IT CLEAR THE DEMAND ON YOU AND YOUR RESOURCES NOW TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THE INCREASED WORKLOAD OF THE TWO DISTRICT COURSE WE NEED WITH THE NEED FOR THREE.
WE'RE NOT GONNA GO INTO THE THIRD ONE IS WE'RE GOING TO STAY WITH, WITH, WITH THEM, WITH THE, WHAT THE WORK DEMAND IS WITH THE TWO THAT YOU'RE HAVING TO KEEP UP WITH.
AND THAT'S BECOME A CHALLENGE.
THERE'S, UM, WE KIND OF TOUCHED ON THIS AT OUR WORKSHOP.
THERE'S AN INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT HAPPENING IN THE STATE AND KIND OF ACROSS THE NATION WITH RESPECT TO ELECTRONIC COURT FILINGS.
UH, RIGHT NOW, THE MAJORITY OF ALL OF OUR CASE, UH, NEW CASES, SUBSEQUENT FILINGS COME IN THROUGH WHAT'S CALLED E-FILE TEXAS.
UM, THERE ARE GUIDELINES AND RULES SET OUT BY THE SUPREME COURT OF TEXAS AND THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS ON THE TIMEFRAME THAT WE HAVE GOT TO ACCEPT THOSE FILINGS.
ESSENTIALLY, IT'S THE EQUIVALENT OF YOU COMING IN WITH YOUR PAPER TO FILE A NEW LAWSUIT, WHAT'S HAPPENING ELECTRONICALLY.
AND THERE IS A ONE BUSINESS DAY TURNAROUND TO MEET THOSE REQUIREMENTS.
AND I'M REALLY PROUD TO TELL YOU THAT WE'RE GETTING IT DONE SAME DAY.
UM, IF THINGS ARE COMING IN ON THE WEEKENDS, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S A DIFFERENT STORY.
BUT, UM, EACH DAY WE ARE GETTING OUR WORK DONE AND GETTING ALL OF THAT IN WHERE THE CONSEQUENCES COME AS THERE'S A FEDERAL LAWSUIT PENDING AGAINST SEVERAL COUNTIES AND THE DISTRICT CLERKS.
UM, AND, AND WE CAN TALK MORE ABOUT THAT, BUT WE ARE NOT A PART OF THAT LAWSUIT.
AND MY GOAL IS TO NOT BE A PART OF THAT LAWSUIT.
I I DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER THAT, BUT I'M DOING EVERYTHING I CAN TO NOT BE IN THAT SITUATION.
UM, THAT'S REQUIRING US TO SEND SOME FOLKS HOME ON THE WEEKENDS TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY BRAND NEW CASES BEING FILED THROUGH THAT E-FILE PORTAL ARE BEING TAKEN CARE OF IN A TIMELY FASHION SO THAT THEY'RE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.
SO THERE'S SOME OUTSIDE INFLUENCES COMING IN THAT, UM, MAKE SOME DEMANDS UPON OUR TIME.
SO, BUT APPRECIATE Y'ALL LISTENING AND, AND, AND THANKS FOR IT DOESN'T GO IN NOTICE WHAT THE DEMAND IS.
IT'S ALSO WITH, WITH THE COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE, BUT WITH YOUR SITUATION, THE DISTRICT, UM, IT'S BEEN MADE VERY CLEAR.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING THE STUDY ON THE I JUSTICE CENTER BECAUSE OF THE INCREASED DEMAND IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM.
I MEAN, I MAGISTRATE EVERY WEEK I SEE THE NUMBERS GROWING.
[02:25:01]
THAT DEMAND HAS NOW BEEN PUT ON YOU TO MEET THOSE RESOURCES.THAT, THAT IT'S GROWN SO MUCH WITH THOSE DISTRICT COURTS.
AND IT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE DO, IS WE HAVE THE JUSTICE SYSTEM OF THE COUNTY.
YOU KNOW, JUST MORE PEOPLE MEANS MORE DISPUTES, CRIMINAL, CIVIL FAMILY AND, AND WE'RE THERE TO TO, TO HANDLE ALL OF THAT.
AND BY THE WAY, THANK YOU FOR THE ADDITIONAL REVENUE STREAM WITH THE, UH, PASSPORT.
NO, JUST THANK, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND I GOTTA BRAG ON OUR STAFF.
UM, WE'VE, IT'S ALWAYS REALLY PLEASANT WHEN SOMEBODY'S LIKE, WE CAN JUST WALK IN AND THEY COME IN.
UM, I HEARD A FAMILY LEAVING THE OTHER DAY AND THEY SAID, WOW, THAT WAS REALLY EASY.
SO I TAKE THAT AS A COMPLIMENT FOR OUR STAFF THAT WE TRY TO MAKE THAT AS SMOOTH AS POSSIBLE, UM, AND GET THROUGH THAT PROCESS WITHOUT JUST HANGING AROUND WAITING FOR NO REASON.
THE NEXT REQUEST COMES FROM JP THREE.
UM, HE IS ASKING FOR A, ONE OF HIS CLERKS TO BE RECLASSED TO A, UH, ASSISTANT COURT COORDINATOR, WHICH, UH, IT'S UNKNOWN AT THE TIME WHO HE WOULD SELECT.
SO, BUT HE WANTED A BASE HOUR OR THE SALARY.
SO THERE YOU HAVE THE TOTAL COST BREAKDOWN OF WHAT THE TOTAL INCREASE WOULD BE WOULD BE 16,787.
THIS IS MEDICAL INVESTIGATION.
SO THE REQUEST IS TO ADD TWO NEW INVESTIGATORS AT $58,000 WOULD BE THEIR SALARIES.
A NEW CLERK, UM, AT THE SALARY WOULD BE 55,000.
AND THEN THE CHIEF INGE INVESTIGATOR IS ASKING FOR A SALARY INCREASE OF $9,249, WHICH WOULD TAKE HER TO $90,000.
UM, I DID, IF YOU GO BACK TO LIKE MY, THE SALARY POLICY, THAT IS A LITTLE BIT ABOVE A MAX FOR THAT.
SO JUST KIND OF WANTED TO NOTATE THAT.
BUT IF ALL OF THE REQUESTS WERE APPROVED, IT'S $440,715.
MANY BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF CAP.
HOW MANY, HOW MANY MORE EMPLOYEES IS SHE WANTING? HOW? UM, TWO NEW INVESTIGATORS.
AND AND HOW MANY DO YOU HAVE THERE NOW? I CURRENTLY ONLY HAVE THREE INVESTIGATORS.
WE COVERED THE, YOU'RE WANTING THREE MORE? YEAH, THE CLERK WOULD STAY IN OFFICE.
AND THEN TWO OTHER INVESTIGATORS TO HELP THEM.
SO THIS IS THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S BUDGET.
SO LAST YEAR IN SB 22, THE COUNTY ATTORNEY HIRED AN ATTORNEY POSITION AND USED SB 22 FUNDS TO PAY FOR IT.
HE'S REQUESTING THIS YEAR TO TAKE THAT AWAY FROM SB 22 AND TO HAVE FUND 10 PAY FOR THAT POSITION.
SO THAT'S $141,311 IS THE CURRENT COST OF THAT EMPLOYEE THAT WOULD GO AWAY FROM SB 22 AND TO FUND 10.
AND THEN HE WANTS TO TAKE WHAT HE HAS LEFT OF SB 22 TO BE ABLE TO GIVE RAISES TO THE OTHER PEOPLE IN HIS OFFICE THAT QUALIFY FOR SB 22.
HE'S ALSO REQUESTING TO RAISE HIS CHIEF INVESTIGATOR POSITION TO $93,035.
HE'S ASKING TO RAISE HIS INVESTIGATOR POSITIONS.
HE HAS THREE ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATORS.
HE WOULD LIKE EACH OF THEIR SALARIES TO GO TO $84,000.
HE'S REQUESTING AN INCREASE TO THE PLATING POSITION TO A SALARY INCREASE OF $88,000 AND A RAISE TO THE PLATING ASSISTANT POSITION OF 61,800.
AND IF ALL OF THAT WAS APPROVED, THEIR TOTAL COST AND EVERYTHING, IT WOULD BE TWO, ABOUT $208,000.
AND THEN HE WOULD REALLOCATE SB 22 FUNDS.
SO I KNOW I DON'T WANNA HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS NOW, BUT UH, WE'RE ASSURED THE SB 22 MONEY FOR ANOTHER YEAR AND THEN IT'LL BE, AND THEN WE'LL BE RELYING ON THE LEGISLATURE TO APPROVE THAT FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
I BELIEVE IT OPENED IN AUGUST.
AND OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD, HOW MUCH SB 22 MONEY DO WE DO? WE CURRENTLY RECEIVE THAT, WE GET 2 75 FOR THE COUNTY ATTORNEY.
2 75 FOR THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND 500,000 FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
SO A LITTLE OVER A MILLION DOLLARS.
THAT NEEDS TO BE NOTED THAT OH YEAH.
THAT'S NOT GUARANTEED MONEY PASSED THIS YEAR.
AND I THINK THEY'RE GONNA POSSIBLY FUND IT DIFFERENTLY.
FOR FISCAL 24 WE GOT IT AND LUMPED
[02:30:01]
SOME PAYMENTS.I THINK NOW THEY'RE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GONNA DO THE AUDIT ON IT AND IT MAY BE MORE LIKE KIND OF PAY IT OUT.
'CAUSE OBVIOUSLY IF YOU GOTTA PAY MONEY BACK, THEY REALLY DON'T WANNA SEND YOU MORE MONEY UP FRONT AND I DON'T KNOW THAT ALL THAT'S BEEN DECIDED YET.
CAN I ASK ANOTHER KIND OF SIMPLE QUESTION? WE BACK UP A LITTLE BIT.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T, WE HAVEN'T VOTED ON OUR ON COLA.
AND IF WE'RE TAKING THAT OR WHERE WE'RE GONNA GO WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, SO WHEN, WHEN WE SEE THESE NINE 10% AND LARGER PAY BUMPS FOR THESE POSITIONS, IF WE VOTE ON THIS TODAY AND WE DON'T VOTE TILL COLA UNTIL THURSDAY, WOULD IT BE THESE NINE AND YOU KNOW, YOU CAN USE YOUR HYPOTHETICALS, IT'D BE A 12 OR WHATEVER, RIGHT.
IT WOULD JUST NEED TO BE, IT WOULD JUST NEED TO BE MADE IN THE MOTION THAT, YOU KNOW, SAY IF IT'S A 3% COLA, THAT THERE'S A 3% COLA GRANTED TO ALL EMPLOYEES THAT HAVEN'T ALREADY RECEIVED ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
I MEAN MOST OF THESE ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE GONNA ASK FOR THE COLA TO BE ON TOP OF WHATEVER THE REQUEST IS HERE.
BUT IT COULD BE MADE IN THE MOTION.
SO DEPARTMENT 4 99, THIS IS THE TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR.
SHE IS ASKING FOR ONE ADDITIONAL AUTO REGISTRATION DEPUTY UM, SALARY WOULD BE 55,661.
UM, BUILDING AND GROUNDS IS ASKING FOR AN ADDITIONAL CUSTODIAN FOR THE ELECTIONS BUILDING AND A NEW MAINTENANCE TECH.
THE CUSTODIAN'S BUDGET SALARY WOULD BE 39,195 WITH A TOTAL COST OF A LITTLE OVER 75,000.
A NEW MAINTENANCE TECH SALARY, 60,000 WITH A TOTAL COST OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND $700.
UM, I KNOW, YOU KNOW, HE HAS SPOKE ON THE FACT THAT HE WOULDN'T HIRE THESE POSITIONS, I BELIEVE UNTIL THE ELECTIONS BUILDING WAS DONE, BUT WE WOULD STILL FULLY FUND THEM FOR FISCAL 25 IF APPROVED.
WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S WANTING IT FOR THE ELECTIONS BUILDING? THAT PERSON WOULD STRICTLY BE AT THE ELECTION.
WHAT'D SHE SAY THAT SHE DIDN'T BELIEVE THE BUILDING WOULD BE READY UNTIL SEPTEMBER OF 2025? YEAH.
SO Y'ALL LIKE THIS ONE DEPARTMENT FIVE 13.
THIS IS ACTUALLY A REDUCTION IN BUDGET.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WAS DONE ACTUALLY MID 2024, UH, WHERE WE TOOK THE PART-TIME MONEY AND PUT IT TO A FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE.
WE JUST NEED TO CONTINUE THAT FUNDING.
SO BASED ON THE INSURANCE THAT THEY SELECTED AND ALL THAT SO THAT THE $50,000 THAT WE REMOVED FROM PART-TIME WAS ENOUGH TO OFFSET, UM, THE BUDGET.
SO THIS IS ACTUALLY GONNA DECREASE THAT BUDGET BY $4,123.
DO YOU NEED A MOTION ON THAT
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? IS THAT AT THE SAME SALARY OR IS THAT YES, THAT'S AT THE SAME SALARY.
SO THIS IS ALWAYS BEFORE ANY COLA OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
SO THE NEXT DEPARTMENT IS CONSTABLE ONE DEPARTMENT 5 51.
HE IS ASKING FOR A NEW DEPUTY THIS YEAR.
SO THIS SALARY WOULD BE BUDGETED 65,342 WITH ALL OF THE INSURANCE AND BENEFITS.
THE TOTAL COST FOR THAT EMPLOYEE WOULD BE 1 0 9 7 55.
ALL THE ADDITIONAL CAP THAT COMES ALONG WITH THAT EMPLOYEE BRINGS THE GRAND TOTAL TO 1 97, 2 86.
UM, AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, THEIR WHOLE BUDGET MAY NOT TAKE THAT BIG OF A HIT 'CAUSE OF INSURANCE CHANGES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT, UH, THAT STILL WOULD BE ADDING AN EMPLOYEE.
HE'S ALSO ASKING FOR THE, IN, FOR THEIR CLERK SALARY TO GO TO 58,271.
THIS IS, HE TRANSFERRED AN EMPLOYEE FROM ANOTHER DEPARTMENT AND UH, HE'S ASKING FOR THE SALARY TO GO BACK TO WHAT SHE WAS MAKING PRIOR TO COMING TO WORK FOR HIM.
SO WHAT WAS THE LADY MAKING AT, AT AT THE 58,000? YEAH.
AND HE WANTS TO TAKE IT TO WHAT? NO, SHE WAS MAKING, SHE WAS MAKING 58,271.
I DUNNO WHAT SHE WAS MAKING SOMEWHERE ELSE.
WHAT, SORRY, WHAT IS SHE MAKING NOW? SHE'S MAKING NOW 55,661 AND SHE WAS MAKING 58 SOMEWHERE ELSE.
YES, BECAUSE WE TALK ABOUT THIS A
[02:35:01]
LOT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THEY MADE SOMEWHERE ELSE.THE OTHER, UM, REQUEST, AND WE'RE GONNA SEE THIS FOR, UM, ALL THE CONSTABLES IS THEY'RE ASKING FOR THEIR UNIFORM ALLOWANCES TO GO TO $1,200.
CURRENTLY THE UNIFORMS ARE, THEY'RE PAID A $600 ANNUAL ALLOWANCE FOR A, UM, FOR A CLOTHING ALLOWANCE.
IF THEY WEAR A UNIFORM, THEN THEY GET A $1,200 ALLOWANCE.
SO LIKE, LIKE THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, WHEN YOU SEE COURTHOUSE SECURITY AND UM, THE PATROL OFFICERS, THAT'S A $1,200 UNIFORM ALLOWANCE.
UM, I KNOW SOME OF THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICES, SOME OF THEIR EMPLOYEES DO WEAR, I KNOW LIKE CONSTABLE FOUR, THEY ALL WEAR A UNIFORM LIKE THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
I KNOW THERE'S AN, UM, AN EMPLOYEE IN JOE HARRIS'S OFFICE CONSTABLE TOO THAT THEY WEAR A UNIFORM LIKE THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
SO, SO WEREN'T Y'ALL CHANGING THAT EITHER.
EITHER FOUR WAS GONNA QUIT GOING WITH A UNIFORM OR Y'ALL ARE GONNA START GOING I THINK JOE UNIFORM.
OKAY, SO YOU'RE ALL GOING TO THE UNIFORM.
SO IS THERE LIKE A DEFINITION FOR UNIFORM? IS IT KIND OF LIKE WHAT SCOTT'S DOING IN FOUR, THAT TYPE OF UNIFORM OR? I I FAIRLY SIMILAR.
I WAS JUST WONDERING WHAT THE UNIFORM THERE.
WHENEVER AFTER LAST TIME I MEANT TO ASK YOU.
'CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS LOOKING AROUND WHAT CONSTITUTES A UNIFORM, SO THAT'S WHY I WAS, THAT'S WHY I WAS ASKING.
WHAT SCOTT JONES AND INTERPRETATION OF IT WAS.
BUT WHAT THE OTHERS I DIDN'T KNOW.
YEAH, I KNOW SOME THAT I THOUGHT I'D ASK.
OURS IS GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A COOLER STYLE.
NOT COOLER COOLER, BUT MORE BREATHABLE STYLE UNIFORM.
SO YEAH, I THINK THAT'S A QUESTION FOR EACH CONSTABLE'S OFFICE.
YOU KNOW, DO THEY WEAR THE EXACT SAME THING THAT LIKE A PATROL DEPUTY WEARS? IN MY OPINION, NO, NOT ALL OF THEM.
THEY DO RECEIVE $600 FOR THAT.
BUT TO GO TO THE $1,200, I DON'T, THAT'S UM, CONSTABLE TWO DEPARTMENT 5 52.
ALSO DURING FISCAL 24, THERE WAS AN EMPLOYEE THAT TRANSFERRED TO CONSTABLE TWO'S OFFICE.
HE USED EXTRA MONEY OR THE FLUFF MONEY IN HIS BUDGET TO BE ABLE TO FUND THAT POSITION AT A HIGHER RATE THAN WE'D ORIGINALLY BUDGETED FOR.
SO CON TO CONTINUE THE FUNDING OF THAT POSITION, UH, IT WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL 15,902 FOR THAT POSITION.
AND AGAIN, ASKING FOR THE UNIFORM INCREASE OF $1,200 PER DEPUTY, UM, 5 53 CONSTABLE THREE ASKING FOR A NEW DEPUTY CONSTABLE, THE BASE SALARY WOULD BE 50 $78,089 WITH ALL THE BENEFITS AND INSURANCE.
THERE'S ALL YOUR ADDITIONAL CAP FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF 220 2002 10.
AND AGAIN ASKING FOR THE $1,200 UNIFORM ALLOWANCE FOR DEPUTIES 5 82.
IT UM, JAMES, ARE YOU STILL BACKING UP? YES.
THE POSITION FOR A NEW NETWORK TECH, HE'S ACTUALLY WITHDRAWN THAT REQUEST.
AND SO THE ONLY ASK IS TO INCREASE THEIR PART-TIME FROM 45,000 TO 60,000.
MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER CONY, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER HALE.
MOTION CARRIES FIVE OH AND THEN DEPARTMENT SIX 30 PERMITTING.
UM, HE'S ASKING FOR RAISES TO EACH POSITION.
SO BASICALLY HE'S TRYING TO GET HIS OFFICE MANAGER AND THREE INSPECTORS TO A BASE SALARY OF $70,000 AND A FINAL INSPECTOR AT $68,000.
UM, THE TOTAL COST FOR ALL OF THIS WOULD BE 79,990.
I DID MAKE SOME NOTES THAT THIS WOULD KIND OF GO OVER MY MAX SCALE FOR THE, FOR THE POSITIONS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER THAT MAYBE NEEDS TO BE ADJUSTED, BUT, AND I KNOW HE'S HERE TO TALK ABOUT IT.
SO WHERE I GET THEM NUMBERS FROM, THAT'S GONNA PUT US ON PAR WITH YS IN JOHNSON COUNTY AS FAR AS
[02:40:01]
US PAYING OUR MORE SENIOR INSPECTORS.UM, GIVE YOU SOME QUICK NUMBERS.
RIGHT NOW OUR CASH BURNS ABOUT $42,000 A MONTH.
THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES TO RUN MY DEPARTMENT.
IF WE DO THESE RAISES, IT WILL INCREASE THAT TO A LITTLE OVER 47,000 A MONTH.
UM, OUR PROJECTED BRIANNA IN OUR PROJECTED INTAKE ABOUT 55 CURRENTLY.
UM, ON AVERAGE I THINK THAT ON AVERAGE, YEAH, ON AVERAGE WE TAKE IN 55 ON AVERAGE.
IT'S ABOUT, WHICH LAST MONTH WAS LOST.
UM, FOR THIS LAST FISCAL YEARS, LIKE FOUR 6,000.
BUT A PORTION OF THAT DOES GO BACK TO THE STATE.
AND THAT, THAT'S INCLUDED IN OUR BUDGET THOUGH.
THAT'S, THAT'S PART, THAT'S PART OF OUR CASH BURN.
YEAH, THAT'S, YEAH, THAT'S PART OF OUR CASH BURN ON THAT.
SO THAT 47 NUMBER WOULD INCLUDE THE PAYMENT TO THE STATE.
NOW WITH YESTERDAY'S VOTE, THAT'S GONNA BRING US TO ABOUT 66,000 A MONTH IF WE MAINTAIN CURRENT PERMITTING LEVEL.
SO WITH THEM RAISES, WE COULD STILL RUN THE DEPARTMENT AND GIVE THE COUNTY BACK ABOUT 20,000 A MONTH.
SO, AND THAT WOULD, SO, AND THE REASON FOR WE, THAT WOULD PUT US, YOU KNOW, ON THE HIGH ON, NOT HIGHER, BUT UP THERE WITH WISE AND JOHNSON.
BUT I WILL TELL YOU MY GUYS ARE DOING 1500 PERMITS A YEAR OR MORE TCEQ.
IT'S NOT A HARD RECOMMENDATION, IT'S KIND OF JUST A SUGGESTION THAT EACH INSPECTOR SHOULD DO ABOUT 350 A A YEAR.
SO WE'RE DOING MORE WORK THAN MOST OTHER COUNTIES OUR SIZE WITH OUR EMPLOYEE COUNT AT SIX, WE'RE DOING MORE WORK THAN, YOU KNOW, OTHER COUNTIES OF OUR SIZE BY ABOUT 150 INSPECTIONS PER YEAR PER EMPLOYEE.
HAVE YOU SEEN A SLOW DOWN WITH THESE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE ECONOMY AND INTEREST RATES 'CAUSE WITH THESE DEVELOPERS OR HOME BUILDERS? WELL, AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT THE FIRST OF THE YEAR.
YEAH, WE DID LA NOW LAST MONTH WE TOOK IN 76 5, WE TOOK IN $76,000 LAST MONTH.
THE FIRST EIGHT DAYS OF AUGUST, WORKING DAYS WERE OVER 25,000.
SO YEAH, THERE, THERE, THERE WAS A DECLINE.
BUT WE'VE, BUT WE'VE SEEN A, A, A, A DEFINITE INCREASE.
IN 22, WE COLLECTED 800,660,000.
AND I CAN'T REMEMBER WHERE IN THERE, I KNOW THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN THE PERMITTING FEE.
I DON'T REMEMBER IF THAT WAS AT THE BEGINNING OF 23 PERHAPS.
SO WE INCREASED OUR FEE PLUS OUR REVENUE DROPPED FROM 800,000 TO 650,000.
UM, THIS YEAR, IF I LOOK MONTH OVER MONTH, IT'S ACTUALLY SOME MONTHS QUITE A BIT LOWER, UM, THAN EVEN JUST LOOKING AT LAST YEAR.
AND SO FROM WHAT WE'VE COLLECTED, UM, THROUGH JULY, WHICH JULY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN ANY OTHER MONTH, WE'VE COLLECTED 460,000.
SO IF I JUST DO THE AVERAGE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR, IT'S LIKE 552,000, WHICH AGAIN IS ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS DECREASE OVER LAST YEAR.
SO I'M SHOWING THAT WE WILL NOT MEET THE BUDGETED PROJECTION FOR THIS YEAR, BUT WITH YESTERDAY'S VOTE, YEAH, IF, IF THE NUMBERS STAY CONSISTENT, WE'RE UP 20, WE'RE GOING UP 20%.
JUST, YOU KNOW, FROM FOUR, FROM 400 TO FOUR EIGHT THERE.
THERE'S, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT AN OUTRIGHT 20% INCREASE RIGHT NOW.
I CAN'T TELL YOU THE NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, BUT I CAN TELL YOU WE'VE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN JULY, LIKE SAID JULY, WE TOOK IN 75, YOU KNOW, PLUS THOUSAND AND WE'RE ALREADY, YOU KNOW, NORTH OF 20 FOR THIS MONTH.
UM, THAT'S THE REST OF FUND, THAT'S ALL OF FUND 10.
I DID PUT IN A TAB HERE FOR THE AUDITOR AND PURCHASING AND COURT REPORTERS.
THEY HAVE NOT HAD THEIR BUDGET MEETINGS YET.
UM, I THINK THOSE ARE SCHEDULED FOR LATER THIS MONTH, BUT I DO JUST FOR FYI, I BELIEVE THE AUDITOR IS ASKING FOR HER PART-TIME POSITION TO GO FULL-TIME.
SAME WAY PURCHASING HAS A PART-TIME POSITION THAT THE REQUEST IS FULL-TIME.
THAT COMPLETES THE, UH, AGENDA.
I WANT TO, I WANT TO ADD SOMETHING HERE JUST REAL QUICK ON, UM, WE HAVE THE DIRECTOR HERE OF THE ME, THE, UH, MEDICAL EXAMINER
[02:45:01]
THAT HAS NOT BEEN, UM, TRACY, TRACY BENNETT.I WANT TO SPEAK TO THIS REAL QUICK.
BUT, UM, WE'VE BEEN EXPOSED A LITTLE BIT MORE TO THE, UM, WORK LOAD THAT YOU HAVE, WHICH WE IN THE PAST WE HAVE NOT.
AND SO QUITE GRAPHICALLY, IF YOU WILL, AND I JUST WANNA POINT OUT JUST AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WHEN WE START MAKING THESE DECISIONS ON THIS TO UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF THIS BECAUSE, UH, WE'RE TALKING CAR WRECKS, WE'RE TALKING THINGS OF THAT WE HAVEN'T REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT.
WE HAVEN'T REALLY UNDERSTOOD THE ROLE OF THE MEDICAL EXAMINER, UH, THAT NOW OCCUPIES SPACE AT THE, UH, EOC.
SO I, I ASK THAT WE KEEP IN, KEEP IN MIND THE WORKLOAD THAT YOU CLEARLY ARTICULATED GRAPHICALLY TO US.
BUT I DO THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO CONSIDER.
'CAUSE IT, IT'S NOT BEEN SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN CLEAR IN THE PAST ON WHAT, WHAT YOUR ROLE IS AND, UM, BETTER YOU THAN ME.
BUT THANK YOU FOR WHAT, THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO.
AND THAT'S, WE'RE 4 83 SO FAR IN THAT COUNTY.
SO WE'RE GONNA GET THOUSAND YEAR, I'M JUST SAYING THAT IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN EXPOSED TO.
AND, AND THAT'S WHY I GONNA INFORM YOU ON THIS.
IF YOU WANNA KNOW, I'M THE ONE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTION YOU HAVE AND WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL GET THERE.
IS THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE COURT ON ANYTHING BEFORE WE ADJOURN? THEN I'LL ASK FOR A MOTION THEN.
YOU'RE ALWAYS THE ONE THAT MAKES, CAN WE VOTE ON THAT LATER? I'M JUST KIDDING.
RECORDS SHOW THAT WE'LL ADJOURN AT 1204.
THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING, TAKING YOUR TIME FOR THE, UH, WORK.
THANK YOU FOR THE STAFF, THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE AS WELL.