“We have a serious problem in Precinct 3,” says newly elected Commissioner Mike Daniels, during his second Commissioners Court meeting held Wednesday, January 4, 2017. “I’m walking into the job with zero dollars to work with and there are bills needing to be paid,” he says.
Daniels lays the blame on outgoing Commissioner, Bodie Emmons, saying that he left no money in the Pct. 3 budget when Emmons completed his elected term in December. “If there is a major storm or disaster, we have no tax payer money to fix any damages.”
“Also, none of the equipment (tractors, vehicles, and the like) is working,” continues Daniels. “Only one truck is working and it desperately needs new tires. We can’t even afford to buy tires!”
According to County Auditor Donna Williams, Precinct 3’s budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal year is at a deficit because tax revenue that was expected has not yet arrived and it is not known when the County might receive said money. There are currently several outstanding bills with no cash flow to cover the costs.
Outgoing Commissioner – Pct. 3, Bodie Emmons was within his 25% allowable usage of the set budget (based on receiving tax revenue) however, the money was not available for use at the time it was spent, according to the Auditor.
Commissioners and Auditor Donna Williams discussed possibly amending the resolution to say ‘Outgoing Commissioners are approved to spend up to 25% of the set budget, only if the money is available.” This issue will be discussed at a future meeting.
Following much confusion, explanations, and discussion, Commissioners voted on some aspects of the proposed changes to the Sheriff’s Department and Jail as presented by Sheriff Jeremy Shipley at a previous meeting.
The changes were broken down into several parts and voted on individually, with some parts being tabled to another meeting time so Commissioners have time to do more research on the matter.
Approved that day are: Restructuring ranks and adjusting pay scale for both the Sheriff’s Department and Jail. Sheriff Shipley strongly believes that this change will fix the problems of an employee making more money than a supervisor. New Commissioners Daniels and Andy Bonner voted in favor of, Commissioners Clyde Ridge and Craig Oakes voted against, and Judge Linda Grant broke the tie.
Tabled to a later date were the requests to add one new Jailer and one new Dispatcher position to help fix problems caused by being short staffed in those areas.
Also at this meeting, Commissioners voted to amend the employee handbook in the section regarding transfers by adding a sentence stating ‘All Road and Bridge are considered the same position with regard to transfers.’
New Chief Deputy Devin Mowery was able to get the County $8,500 worth of free office furniture through Marshal Services of Tyler and Clayton Williams out of Houston. Pieces received include 4 desks, a credenza, 18 office chairs, and 11 file cabinets. Commissioners voted to accept these items.
Commissioners voted to reinstate the Burn Ban due to dry ground and high winds.
Janet Rogillio, Office Investigator for the District Attorney’s Office, retired as of December 31, 2016 and requested to be paid for her Paid Time Off, as Commissioners recently voted to change the policy at the end of 2016. This was done during the time she was in the middle of three Capital Murder Trials, causing her to accrue many overtime hours she would not be paid for, according to the new policy. Commissioners did not take any action on this request.
Several other housekeeping items were taken care of at this meeting before adjourning.
The next scheduled meeting is set for Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
