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The court approved a $12.3 million-plus budget for the sheriff’s office, a $1.4 million increase from 2008’s $10.9 million-plus budget.
Sheriff T. Michael O’Connor approached the commissioners court in June, requesting $13.7 million for 2009, 16 additional personnel and seven vehicles.
While the commissioners court could not grant the office’s every wish – it approved just seven of the new hires but passed the sheriff’s office’s request for seven new vehicles – County Judge Don Pozzi said none of the requests were out of line.
“Please let your supervisors and department heads know the reasons that we cannot fund everything that they have asked for,” Pozzi told O’Connor, who stood facing the commissioners court. “It is not because we do not recognize the need. We know they will be ongoing and need to be ongoing.”
Other items approved in the budget include $75,000 for seminars, schooling and travel and $30,000 for supplies, some of which will go toward a $15,000 digital recorder for the interrogation room.
“Whatever we are unable to do for ’09, we will certainly continue looking at,” Pozzi said. “We know there will be additional employee requests.”
The sheriff’s office met several times with the commissioners court to lay out the proposed changes, Pozzi said, and that aided in the approval process. Oftentimes, he said, the court will spend days during budget workshops, just sorting out sheriff’s office budgets.
A sheriff doesn’t just plan for what will happen next year, O’Connor said, but looks to the future. The new additions will help, he said.
“We’re at a point now to where this day forward it will be enhancements as needed,” he said.
It’s difficult to put a value on what a safe community is worth, O’Connor said, but it’s good to see the community supports its law enforcement.
“I think people want a safe community and that they want to believe in it,” he said. “They just want to know how that’s going to be applied.”