Just when Cameron County employees were hoping against hope that they would get a raise for the first time in nearly a decade, dark clouds are peering over the horizon.
The first of these as county commissioners grope to come to terms with their $83 million budget is the refusal of Cameron County Auditor Martha Galarza to certify the more than $1 million that the county will received for housing 100 Hidalgo County inmates.
Sheriff Dept. planners had counted on the additional funding to give law enforcement and corrections staff members raises.The agreement reached between Sheriff Omar Lucio and Hidalgo County authorities states that up to 100 inmates will be housed in Cameron County. County commissioners of both counties approved it.
However, according to the auditor's viewpoint, that is not something that can be counted on to fund permanent raises for county employees because the deal might not be permanent to fund recurring salary schedules. In the contract, the languages specifies that the inmates will be transferred on "an as needed basis," and doesn't place a strict quota of prisoners.
The inmates will be coming in increments of three, so the first week, there will be about 25 inmates coming in. Then the second week, another 25 will be coming in, then the third week the remaining 50 or so will be housed here.
The Cameron County’s jail can hold about 1,700 inmates and currently has about 400 empty beds.
But without the auditor's certification of the new money, commissioners cannot count on it to deliver the raises sought by Lucio for his staff or for giving raises to elected officials or other employees.
Commissioners are under the gun because they recently approved 10 percent salary increases for the staffs of the district and county court-at-law courts.
The fact that they granted those raises off-budget will just increase the demands of other departments – like the sheriff's department – for raises as well. With the budget in preparation, they are looking for revenue that might not be there to sustain them.
The 2015 approved budget has close to 500 employees (200 detention officer alone) listed under the sheriff's department alone.
"It just opened the flood gates for other to ask for raises, too," said Pct. 2 commissioner Alex Dominguez who didn't vote for the raises. "Now we're going to have to deal with that."
Even with $2 million more in revenues in additional property taxes this year, unless Galarza relents and certified the Hidalgo County prisoner revenue, commissioners will be juggling to meet the salary-raise demands.
7 comments:
She has an excellent point. The Sheriff and Commissioners should know better.
.......then, Alex Dmz should reduce his salary. I have no problem with that.
Bravo!! to Ms. Galarza. Finally, someone with brains...hows about running for Cameron County Judge???
The Sheriff's Department salary needs to be overhauled. How is it that supervisors with the same rank get paid $18,000 more then others with the same rank. oh, it is because they pay themselves more with drug money that it is seized. It amazes me that this occurs in a civil service department. Where's their association?
oh well
WOW 10 years. How can these people live knowing that some county employees live pay check to pay check, and they still refuse to give raises. We the voters are to blame, but who do you vote for they promise you and once they are in its all about them their friends and family.
Kudos and congratulations to her! She is doing a great job. This commission will get the axe at election time.
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