At the final hour, Burnet County commissioners overhauled portions of the upcoming fiscal year budget Sept. 16 to find money to add four deputies in Burnet County Sheriff’s Office.
The regular meeting, held in the AgriLife Building instead of the Burnet County Courthouse, featured a handful of citizens comments which appeared to impact several decisions. (Find comments on Page 4).
In the end, commissioners removed several expenses and/or lowered the stipends for expenditures to find $435,000 to fund four deputy positions and potentially clear the way for the department to make funding adjustments for corporal promotions.
Following a public hearing, Burnet County Judge Bryan Wilson and Pct. 2 Commissioner Damon Beierle used the open session to exact “scalpel type movements” within the budget to arrive at the number.
The breakdown of cuts included: $105,000, PM support staff; $25,000, PM support staff benefits; $10,000, unemployment insurance; $50,000, professional services; $75,000, fuel reserve (reduction); $10,000, miscellaneous $25,000, utilities; $92,000 (2.7% raises removal); and $45,000 (extra funding)
Sheriff within Fund 100 (general operating budget).
Prior to combing through the proposed budget. Commissioners took a number of votes.
A first vote failed with the county judge and Pct. 4 Commissioner Joe Don Dockery voting for the budget as is with 73 general corrections. Commissioners who voted against the motion were Jim Luther Jr. (precinct 1); Beierle; and Chad Collier (precinct 3).
The county judge prefaced his concerns about the impending changes to the budget with the possibility of a tax rate increase.
“The county has been under extreme scrutiny at a tax rate of about 33 cents,” Wilson said. “It’s interesting that the Burnet County (sic) school board are at 80 cents and the City of Burnet is over 60 cents.
“I don’t know what Marble Falls and Marble Falls ISD are but they’re much higher than this,” Wilson added. “The strangeness to this reality is that I like citizens to be involved, but I’m concerned at how in this little room, there’s such a rancor and attack can take place when there’s tax rates much much higher across the county.”
The judge implored commissioners, in particular Beierle, to keep the tax rate in mind when making changes.
“If we adopt any increases in this budget that will force us to raise taxes, we’ll blow out the tax rate, any salaries or ongoing costs – the tax rate will have to pay for those. Otherwise, we’ll end up raising taxes much higher in the next year,” Wilson continued. “The largest expense in this budget is one-time costs to meet specific needs, roads, buildings.
“Other one-time cost will be covered by our fund balance. People say we need better roads. This is the first time in years we have not taken out another tax note,” Wilson said. “We heard lots of complaints about more debt, more debt. …We didn’t even consider it.”
Beierle acknowledged his concerns and walked through all the proposed increases, mentioning “mistakes” such as an $80,000 line item in the judge’s office and a $45,000 stipend for another position.
Also, Beierle noted expenses such as a proposed $20,000 for cell phones for the county court-at-law budget, which was “fixed” to become $1,300.
“That’s a nice addition (in cuts),” Beierle commented. “These changes from the proposed filed budget, if we pass these changes, we will then have $285,700.22 available towards some things that maybe aren’t in the budget.”
Beierle’s aim, he explained, was to try “to get to some things that the public wants” while maintaining the same tax rate.
Other adjustments included finding $49,000 in
the so-called Fund 100, which in the General Fund is the primary account for general operating expenses. In the midst of discussion, Beierle asked to clear any confusion Beierle by adopting 73 noted predetermined corrections outside of the current discussion for changes; Luther seconded the motion. All five
in attendance voted “aye.”
Raises Removed Subsequently, Luther moved that the 2.7% costof- living increase in the pay to elected officials be “taken out” of the budget. Collier seconded the motion.
All five voted to extract the raises for elected officials; which amounted to approximately $92,000.
Next, discussion turned to the public information officer (records management officer), $130,000 with benefits.
The county judge expressed concern about removing the proposed records management officer (an attorney position) due to the “huge volumes of public information requests.”
Ultimately, commissioners agreed that staff can be trained to deal with their own public information requests in their respective departments.
Other categories that came under scrutiny included county fuel reserves and judicial district court mental health funding.
Beierle maintained his aim was to find ways of “allocating towards public safety.”
Initially, Beierle’s “scalpel,” as he referred to it, found $390,000.
He then asked to entertain four new deputies and corporal positions. Burnet County Chief Deputy Alan Trevino spoke offering details about the BCSO request for four deputies ($225,000 total breaking down to $67,000 each plus benefits for entry rate); and five corporal level enhancements.
He estimated deputies would cost $100,000 per staffer fully-equipped.
Wilson contended that a “30% drop in crime” and the “rounding up illegal aliens” throughout the state and nation indicated a safer environment.
“There’s no reasonable expectation that crime is going to increase,” Wilson said of his reluctance to fund the BCSO positions.
Wilson also pointed to a 31% growth in BCSO.
“You’re working towards an agenda that flies
in the face of all the data we’ve been working on for weeks now,” Wilson told Beierle.
Beierle said, “Adding deputies does not expand government, it enhances safety.”
Sheriff Calvin Boyd took a turn at the podium and said, “This isn’t political. ‘I lowered the tax rate.’ That is what you want to say, but you’re doing it on the backs of law enforcement.
“These four deputies will make a huge difference. … We’re going to get where we were trying to get since 2017,” Boyd added. “The next issue is going to be salaries. In order to retain we’re going to have to look at that at some point.”
Commissioners voted to approve the budget, effective Oct. 1.
