* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. THEY [00:00:01] GET AN INCREASE. A LOT OF THESE YOU NOTICE ALL NEW, YOU KNOW, ALMOST EVERYBODY IN MY DEPARTMENT IS, IS SO THEY HAVE, SO NOW YOU, SO WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT AND SOMEBODY AT THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT? WELL, NO, THIS IS OUR SEPARATE DEPARTMENT. WE HAVE OUR PEOPLE WANT THEIR LOAD FIXED. THEY ALSO WANT THEIR UH, THEY WANT THEIR, UH, TO FEEL SAFE TOO. THEY WANT, WELL IF THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT CAN'T GET THERE, IF WE HAVE CALLS, YOU KNOW, FROM PEOPLE THAT SAID THAT THEY ALMOST HAVE PEOPLE REFUSE TO COME DOWN. AGAIN, KEEP IN MIND OUR TAX AND WE HAD MANY YEARS OF TRY TO CATCH UP AND YOU CAN'T HIRE FIVE, NINE PEOPLE, THEREFORE WE HAVE TO. YEAH. YOU KNOW, ON 100% OF THE POPULATION USES ROADS. I DUNNO WHAT PERCENT OF THE POPULATION, LAW ENFORCEMENT, MEDICAL SERVICES KNOW EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. THEY ABLE, SO IF THEY CAN'T GET DOWN THE ROAD, THEY'RE NOT RECEIVE SERVICES. IT'S ALSO EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT THEY BE WELL TRAINED AND JUST LIKE PEOPLE NEED TO BE. WELL, AND I DON'T DISAGREE AND THEY'VE BEEN WELL FUNDED IN THE PAST. I, THEY'VE BEEN EXTREMELY, I SAID THEY'VE BEEN EXTREMELY, I JUST WANT TO GO AROUND AND UP. I'M MY OPINION, OPINION, ABSOLUTELY. WE'RE HAD THIS DISCUSSION 10 POSITIONS WITH NO CHANGE IN SALARY OTHER THAN IF WE DO GIVE THE 1200, I'M NOT SURE. NO. THE LAST ONE PROPOSED BUDGET WE HAD, THERE WAS NO INCREASES IN ROAD BRIDGE, BUT THAT WAS A SECUR STATE HAD A SEPARATE FUND. SEPARATE, SEPARATE. Y'ALL HAD GAVE ME YOUR NUMBERS WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO, AND I GAVE, AND YOUR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE, BOTH THE 1200 BECAUSE YOU DID NOT GIVE YOURSELF A RAISE, NOR DID YOU GIVE YOUR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT A RAISE. RIGHT. SO I TOOK IT UPON MYSELF TO INCLUDE THAT IN THERE TO TRY TO BE FAIR. AND, AND YOU ALLOWED US TO INCREASE OUR PERSONNEL AS WE SEE BILL. YEAH. YOU ADDED POSITIONS AND YOU GAVE SOME PRETTY GOOD RAISES AND WE HAD SEVERAL THAT DIDN'T GET IN. YES, YOU DID, BUT THEY JUST, YOU KNOW, FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER THEY DIDN'T GET TAX RATE. WELL, IT WAS SET UP DIFFERENTLY THAN PROPERTY VALUES WENT UP. I WAS VERY CONSERVATIVE ON THE INMATE PRISON CONTRACT. WE'LL PROBABLY GET MORE THAN 1.6, BUT I WANTED TO BE VERY CONSERVATIVE, SO IT'D BE A NICE SURPRISE. I'M THE ONE THAT MOVED THE 1.27 TO ROAD BRIDGE TO GIVE YOU MORE MONEY TO HELP YOU HAVE YOUR POSITIONS AND GET YOUR ROADS FIXED. JUDGE DIDN'T TELL ME TO DO THAT. I WAS PLAYING WITH IT, TRYING TO GET IT TO BE FAIR. SORRY, JUDGE ON THAT. NO, THAT'S FINE. ACTUALLY WE HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT IT, BUT I WASN'T SURE THE EXACT AMOUNT. WE KNEW WE WERE TRYING TO GET THE MONEY TO ROAD BRIDGE AND THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS DISCUSSION NEEDS TO BE HAD BECAUSE I PROMISE YOU THIS DISCUSSION, IF THESE RAISES ARE ADOPTED FOR THE ROAD BRIDGE, IF SOME OF YOU HAVE PROPOSED IT WILL CREATE DISTURB COUNTY. SURE. SO ANYWAY, I JUST DID A BREAKDOWN ON AVERAGE, BUT SOME OF THESE ARE POSITIONS IN LIKE, I HAD ONE HERE THAT IF THEY, EVERYTHING MUCH AS FOUR, NOT THAT THEY'RE GONNA GET IT, BUT IN THE FUTURE, AND THAT MAY BE A YEAR OR TWO OR THREE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD. SO I JUST TOOK ALL THE SHOWER, EVERYBODY HAD SUBMITTED TO KAREN DID AN AVERAGE PER EMPLOYEE BASED ON WHAT THEY COULD OBTAIN. SHOULD THEY I SEEN IT. WELL AND I DID MY PRECINCT AND FROM ONE PRECINCT, UH, TO THE OTHER, THERE'S ABOUT, UH, A $2,000 DIFFERENCE FROM THE LOWEST TO HIGHEST. IN OTHER WORDS, YOUR PRECINCT WOULD BE ABOUT 2000 LOWER ON AVERAGE THAN I, I'M THE LOWEST AVERAGE OF THE FOUR. OKAY. WHAT WOULD THAT, HOW WOULD THAT AFFECT YOU AS FAR AS YOUR PERSONNEL? I DON'T THINK THAT IT'LL, UH, [00:05:01] MOST OF MY GUYS LOCAL. UH, SO YOU DON'T THINK IF, IF THEY, UH, GETTING PAID 2000 OR LESS THAN WHAT THEY GET IN PRECINCT GO PRECINCT FOUR. IT'S ALREADY, I HAD ONE MAN TRANSFER OF UH, WELL HE LIVED THERE. NUMBER ONE. WHAT I PAID. SO IT'S, IT IS NOT A ONE CASE FITS ALL. NO, WE'VE DONE, WE'VE ALL GONE TO A CHECK CAN OPERATE, OPERATE, OPERATE A, YOU CAN OPERATE ANY MACHINES REPAIR IN THE PARKING LOT. AND SO BECAUSE THEY NEVER KNOW EACH DAY THE BUDGET BE, IT'S LIKE, I, I DON'T, OUR PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THE SKILLS THEY HAVE AND WHETHER THEY WE'RE PUTTING THEM 25 TRUCK AND THESE GUYS ARE VERY C TAKE OF, THAT'S BEEN A, I CAN TELL YOU THAT I, UH, MACHINES AUCTION THIS YEAR. I TRACTOR SOLD FOR 18 THREE THIS YEAR LONG SOLD IT FOR 18 THREE. THIS IS OPERATE MY PROPOSED RAISE. NOT INCLUDING THE 1200. NO. SO, RIGHT. WE'RE STILL TALKING THAT, WELL YOURS HAVE BEEN REVISED SINCE THE FIRST LIFT I'VE SEEN 36. OKAY. UH, BRIAN, DO YOU WISH TO SAY SOMETHING? YEAH, YOU DON'T MIND? I'D JUST LIKE TO, TO REMEMBER ONE THING ON THE DOCUMENT THAT WE HANDED AND NOTHING AGAINST ANY OTHER COUNTY BECAUSE I THINK WE'VE GOTTA HAVE EVERY ONE OF 'EM TO DO THE JOB. TRULY GL OPERATOR STUFF, THE ONE THING I'LL REMEMBER IS THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ARE ALL LICENSED PROFESSIONALS THAT HAS TO MAINTAIN A LICENSE TO KEEP THAT UP. AND WE HAVE MANDATED DI FOR INVESTIGATORS FROM THE DA. THE ONE THING I WILL BRING TO YOU, IF YOU'LL REMEMBER THIS DOCUMENT THAT I GAVE TO YOU, THE PROPOSAL, THE BIG CONCERN THAT WE HAVE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, ESPECIALLY OUT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, IS OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, WE'VE LOST $4.2 MILLION IN TRAINING GOING OUT THE DOOR. AND THAT'S AN AVERAGE OF EIGHT $57,000 A YEAR. JUST THE TRAINING OF PEOPLE LEAVING. AND THIS WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP GOING. THE BIG CONCERN THAT WE HAVE ALSO IS THE LIABILITY THAT THE COUNTY WILL TAKE ON AS A WHOLE BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THESE TRAINED INDIVIDUALS OUT HERE. WE ALWAYS HAVE NEW ROOKIES THAT DON'T HAVE THE TRAINING TO DEAL WITH. SO, SO THAT'S MY, THAT'S MY BIG FEAR AND I JUST WANT, I UNDERSTAND WHAT Y'ALL HAVE TO GO THROUGH. IT'S NOT TRUE. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THIS TURNOVER'S BEEN HAPPENING FOR A LONG TIME THOUGH, RIGHT? I MEAN, OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS IT'S, IT'S, IT'S STARTED, I MEAN IT IT'S A 94% TURNOVER RATE IN THE LAST YEARS AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE GOTTA START GETTING AHEAD OF THE, TO STOP IT, THE THING I'D LIKE TO TELL THE JUDGE, ALL OUR, ALL OF OUR GUYS THAT HAVE CDLS, THEY PAID 60 THE C COST THAT, THAT'S THE SAME THING. OUR TRANSPORT OFFICER DOES DRIVE THE BUS. THEY PAY THAT OUT POCKET. SO WERE ANY OF YOU ABLE TO INCREASE YOUR SALARIES DURING THIS PAST [00:10:01] BUDGET YEAR? SO THIS WOULD BE ON WHAT YOU PROPOSAL WOULD BE ON TOP OF WISH HAD TWO OR THREE GUYS THAT GOT AND DID YOU HAVE ANY THAT INCREASED DURING THE YEAR? NO, DID NOT. DID YOU ASSIST EMPLOYEES? I LOST THE ONE. I DID GIVE THEM. WELL, I MEAN, OFFICER QUESTION. YEAH, WE, WE HAVE A CONVERGENCE OF OPINION. THE NEEDS TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE GO THROUGH EVERY DAY ALSO. YEAH. I JUST FEEL LIKE I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND A HUNDRED ACROSS THE BOARD RAISE, UH, FOR EMPLOYEES AS WELL AS A 50 DAYS FOR SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND JAIL OR, UH, JAIL OPERATION EMPLOYEES. UH, IF I DIDN'T THINK THE COUNTY COULD NOT AFFORD, UH, I DO BELIEVE WE CAN AFFORD IT. I BELIEVE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO, OUR EMPLOYEES WENT THROUGH YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS. THEY, UH, 14 DAYS, UH, WHERE THEY DIDN'T GET PAID BACK WHEN WE HAD FURLOUGH DAYS THAT MY FIRST YEAR HERE WAS IMPLEMENTED BY THE PREVIOUS COURT BEFORE I GOT HERE. BUT ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I HELPED US TURN THE COUNTY AROUND IN THAT FIRST YEAR FROM, UH, A DEFICIT TO A POSITIVE. AND SO FROM THAT TIME, AS YOU GO BACK, AND I DID BRING THAT SHEET WITH ME, YOU SEE WHAT ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE GONE THROUGH, INCLUDING GROVE BRIDGE. UH, IT JUST SEEMS TO ME THAT OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE THAT ARE STILL HERE WITH US. NOT ALL OF THEM ARE. SOME OF THEM BECAUSE VARIETY OF REASONS. ONE, THEY MAKE MONEY AS THE BUDGET OFFICER. I JUST, I JUST BELIEVE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. IF THE COURT DISAGREES WITH ME, THAT'S FINE. I'M ON ONE VOTE, BUT I'M, I'M SOLID. I'M GETTING THE, UH, INCREASE TO THE EMPLOYEES. SO, UH, COMMISSIONER, DO YOU HAVE OTHER, OTHER COMMENTS? ANYBODY? SO I'M REALLY CLEAR THE 609 SAY 700,000, RIGHT? ALL THE, THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE NUMBER THAT I GOT. OKAY. THAT NUMBER WOULD BE APPLIED AGAINST THE ESTIMATED 1.6. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE JAIL? BUT HERE MY OUTTA THAT 1.6 MILLION, 600,000, IS IT GONNA PERMANENT EXPEND TO IT? OH, SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? YOU HAVE A 800, YOU HAVE A 800 SOMETHING THOUSAND DOLLARS INCREASE IN PROPERTY TAX. OKAY. Y'ALL NEED TO GET OFF THAT. IT'S ALL BEING USED FROM THE, THE FEDERAL PRISONERS BECAUSE IT'S NOT. RIGHT. OKAY. ALMOST 300,000 IS SET IN A CONTINGENCY FOR THE EXTRA 850 LIKE Y'ALL ASKED ME TO DO LAST TIME WE MET. BUT THAT'S THE ONLY THING THAT'S BEING MADE. WELL, WE INTO THE, THE GENERAL WE'VE UNDERESTIMATED WHAT WE BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA GET FROM THE FEDERAL. YEAH. WE'RE ABOUT 400,000 UNDERESTIMATED. LOOKS LIKE MAYBE THAT OPPOSED WELL, THAT'S WHY I LEFT IT AS A NICE SURPRISE THAT WE DID GET EXTRA. WE COULD PAY IT ON A NOTE, WE COULD SET IT ASIDE, WHATEVER Y'ALL WANTED TO DO. IF I BUDGET EVERY PENNY OF IT, BELIEVE ME, Y'ALL WANT SPEND, EVERY PENNY WE DO HAVE COME UP. BUT I, I GUARANTEE YOU THE REVENUE PORTION OF THIS BUDGET HAS BEEN, IS VERY, WE'RE NOT BUDGETING WITH THE AMOUNT OF REVENUE THAT I THINK WE WOULD GET IN. I'VE NEVER DONE THAT ON ANY PUBLIC BUDGET I'VE EVER HAD TO DO. THIS IS ABOUT MY 30TH. I'VE ALWAYS UNDERESTIMATED REVENUE JUST TO BE ON THE CONSERVATIVE SIDE. AND AS YOU GO LOOK BASED ON THE WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE IN THIS COUNTY OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, YOU SEE WHAT'S HAPPENED ON THAT. AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO SOME ONE TIME EXPENDITURES, BUT I STILL WANT US TO DO SOME THINGS THIS YEAR BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR BECAUSE OF, REMEMBER THE 4 MILLION, 4,000,008 I SHOWED YOU THAT WE STILL ARE WHERE WE SET ASIDE, YOU KNOW, THAT WE, WE HAVEN'T SET ASIDE. I BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA INCREASE OUR FUND BALANCE. AT LEAST I MAY BE WRONG, I SHOULDN'T EVEN ESTIMATE. WE'RE GONNA INCREASE OUR FUND BALANCE SIGNIFICANTLY THIS YEAR, WHICH IS A GOOD THING, ESPECIALLY IF YOU DO SETTLE. [00:15:03] YEAH. AND WHAT I WOULD TO DO, WHAT I WOULD LIKE DO, AGAIN, I PAY THAT, UH, NOT PAY THE LOAN DOWN ON THE RADIO STUFF IN MARCH. LET WAIT TILL ABOUT THIS TIME NEXT YEAR. AND IF OUR BUDGET LOOKS GOOD AND WE DON'T HAVE SOME SORT OF TAX, WE MIGHT WANT INCREASE THAT TO 700. YOU KNOW THAT. THE OTHER THING I'D LIKE TO SAY, OUR COMMISSIONER IS REMEMBER AND I KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CONTRACTS INMATES, THEY'VE GOT TONS OF INMATES STILL OUT THERE AND I THINK OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS TO SEND THEM ALL TO US IF WE GOT, WHEN WE MOVE, THEY'RE, YOU TOLD ME HAVE 960 AND HE HAS 960 FREEZER THAT HE'S RESPONSIBLE AND UH, QUITE HONESTLY, THEY, WE HAD ROOM FOR LAST TIME. I, YOU KNOW THAT BRIAN? BRIAN? YES SIR. HOW MANY POPULATIONS JAIL TODAY DO USUALLY THIS WHOLE POPULATION IS AROUND THREE OR NO, I GOT FOUR, I THINK 4 15, 4 18 WAS FRIDAY, BUT I HAD, I DIDN'T TIME TO LOOK FEDERAL. WE'RE RUNNING ABOUT ABOUT 120. THAT'S, BUT WE ROTATE, REMEMBER THE NUMBER I TOLD YOU THAT AND I DIDN'T SAY IT TO YOU. THAT'S MY BAD, THE MONTHLY REPORT, BECAUSE I JUST GOT IT DONE FOR LAST MONTH. IT'S GONNA SHOW LIKE 160 AND HUNDRED 70 INMATES. YOU GOTTA REMEMBER THEY'RE NOT COMPLETELY 30 DAY INMATE AND INMATES. WE MIGHT KEEP 10 15, THEY GO TO COURT AND THEN THEY GET SENTENCED AND THEY'RE SENDING TO SOME FEDERAL AGAINST. SO WE'RE RUNNING ABOUT 160 INMATES THROUGH THAT CYCLE. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE BEEN AVERAGE. I'VE ALWAYS SAID ON A 70 TODAY, MR. GENTLEMAN, THE, HE SAYS THAT HE HAD 27 HIS INMATES, OUR CONTRACT COSTS 15, BUT IT'S ALSO WRITTEN, YOU HAVE TO FIGURE IT UP ON THEIR SIDE. I ASKING HOW MANY COMP TOTAL AND THAT, THAT'S A 25,000 HALF YOU GOT. GOTTA FIGURE OUT ALL THAT. ALRIGHT, LET'S TAKE THIS KIND OF GET BACK ON TRACK. HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANTED TO SAY. WELL, JUDGE, I WANNA RECOGNIZE ALL THE PROGRESS THAT'S BEEN MADE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS AND THE, YOU KNOW, THE, AND I'M JUST SPEAKING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR EXTERNAL AUDITORS ARE ENCOURAGING THE COURT TO INCREASE FUND VALUES. YOU KNOW, IF WE LOOK AT AND WHAT FRONT, Y'ALL ALL KNOW THIS, SO I'M JUST REPEATING IT TO REFRESH US. IT'S FUN BALANCE THAT ALLOWS US TO SMOOTH AND AVERAGE THINGS OUT IN DOWNTURN. JUDGE, WE ARE STILL DIGGING OUT OF THE LAST DOWNTURN AND IF WE'RE ENTERING INTO A VERY UNCERTAIN PERIOD BECAUSE THE LAST THREE TIMES THAT WE'VE CHANGED OUT, UH, AN EIGHT YEAR PRESIDENT, WE'VE HAD ECONOMIC TURNOVER AND WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT RIGHT NOW. AND, UM, IN LAST WEEK'S DALLAS MORNING NEWS, UH, SMART MONEY IS LEAVING THE STOCK MARKET AND CHINA IS PRECIPITATING ANOTHER CURRENCY CRISIS. SO, UM, WEIGH THOSE THINGS, UM, AS WE GO THROUGH AND, AND I THINK, UH, THE, THE COUNTY EMPLOYEES ARE, ARE LOYAL AND THEY'RE SKILLFUL AND, AND AND I, THE THINGS THAT AREN'T DONE THIS YEAR THAT CREATE ADDITIONAL WILL [00:20:01] THEIR BENEFIT WHEN WE GET THE NEXT DOWNTURN AND WE HAVE FUND BALANCE. SO WE MAINTAIN EVERYBODY WHATEVER CURRENT IS AT THAT TIME AND THAT'S THE VERY REASON WE'RE NOT TO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, LET'S TAKE ABOUT A FIVE OR 10 MINUTE BREAK. WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR AND HOUR. WE'LL COME BACK AND, UH, CONTINUE THIS DISCUSSION AND MOVE ON TO OTHER AREAS OF THE BUDGET. I THINK JUDGE RICH IS WANTING TO COME TALK TO US, UH, HERE A LITTLE BIT. SO, UH, WE'LL, UH, COME BACK AND LET HIM SPEAK TO US NEXT ABOUT AN EMPLOYEE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.