Friday, September 27, 2024
The Hood County Commissioners Court addressed growing concerns regarding funding for the Hood County Sheriff’s Office during a regularly scheduled meeting Sept. 24.
During the court’s last regular meeting Sept. 10, Lt. Gary Roberts spoke during public comments, drawing attention to the notable pay differences between the Hood County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies.
Roberts noted that deputies in Hood County start at $61,000 and top out at $69,000, while officers at Granbury Police Department begin at $70,000 and can earn up to $105,000. He also pointed out that Weatherford Police Department’s pay range is also higher, with starting salaries of $65,000 and maximums of $95,000.
As for sergeants, Roberts noted that starting salaries at the HCSO range from $72,000 to $82,000, while Granbury PD offers a starting pay between $89,000 and $134,000. Roberts mentioned that his own salary caps at $87,000, while a similar position at GPD earns up to $156,000.
“So, the guy that does my job at GPD makes $156,000 — $70,000 more than I make,” he said. “Now, I'm not in here fighting for my money. I'm fighting for my guys’ money. But it ain't right.”
Roberts expressed frustration that despite the increasing demands on the department, pay scales have stagnated over the past three years. He emphasized that the pay gap of around $30,000 across the board is unjust, particularly given that Hood County serves a population of over 60,000 residents compared to Granbury’s 12,000.
He expressed concern regarding the HCSO having an excessive amount of compensatory time. Roberts said while the HCSO has a similar number of employees compared to Weatherford PD — 61 at HCSO versus 63 at Weatherford — Hood County serves a population twice as large. He explained that Weatherford manages its comp time through overtime payments and annual reductions. However, he said the HCSO cannot mitigate comp time in the same way, which results in slightly fewer comp hours —4,508 compared to Weatherford's 4,630.
“We have on our books for our 61 employees, 4,508 hours of comp time, 180 hours less than the agency down the road with half the population,” Roberts said. “And they pay overtime, and they pay off their comp time every year. So, stop telling the sheriff back there that's going into his fifth term that he doesn't know how to manage his agency. He does. We're doing better than everywhere around us."
Roberts also voiced his frustration regarding the recent denial of the HCSO’s requests for both a fraud investigator and a drug investigator.
“Y'all say you can't afford it, but I think it's just that you don't care,” he said. “I never thought I'd see (this) in Hood County, but I think what a few of you guys are doing is called defunding the police. I'm tired of it. You guys, we can't operate like this ... We cannot be safe and operate in what y'all are doing. I never thought I'd see it from this group of people sitting up there, but that's exactly the message you're sending to our people.”
During the Tuesday, Sept. 24 meeting, Precinct 1 Commissioner Kevin Andrews said the court needed to clear the air regarding Roberts’ concerns.
“Last court we were accused of defunding the police, and that had picked up some steam on social media," Andrews said. “I was pretty riled up at that point. In the four years that I've been here, with this being the fourth budget that I've gone through, the sheriff's budget has increased 156%. I feel like we've gone out and made huge strides. Are we all the way there? I'm not saying that we are, but I feel like we made big strides in getting to the right place.”
Andrews also clarified that defunding the police means taking something away — not “growing at 156%.” He explained that in regard to salaries, the HCSO is only trailing in its starting salary behind Tarrant and Parker County.
"We're ahead of Johnson, Somervell, Erath and Palo Pinto,” Andrews said. “I feel like we're doing a pretty good job of taking care of the sheriff's department, but I felt like we needed to talk about it and get this out to the public to clear the air that there's not any defunding going on here.”
Hood County Judge Ron Massingill noted that Sheriff Roger Deeds had requested two vehicles and four additional officers, but the court chose not to approve his request.
"It's not defunding, but it's not keeping up with the times either,” Massingill said.
He also emphasized the close proximity of Hood County to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and the potential threat posed by gangs. He suggested that residents might be open to a slight property tax increase if it meant enhanced safety and protection for the community.
Massingill also expressed concern about the court second-guessing Sheriff Roger Deeds regarding the resources he believes are necessary for the HCSO.
Deeds acknowledged that while the court has been supportive in the past, recent requests for resources have not been met.
“The court's been great to us over the years, no doubt,” Deeds said. “I just want to keep up with what's going on around us too, and like the judge said, the county's growing, city's growing, everybody else is moving forward, and I don't want to lag too far behind."
Deeds mentioned that the recent influx of American Rescue Plan Act funds and Senate Bill 22 resources have helped acquire necessary equipment, but he is hopeful for the renewal of funding for additional deputy positions in the future.
“We keep moving forward, but I don't want to lag behind or go in reverse in any way,” he said. “I appreciate everything that the court has done over the years. Let’s just keep moving forward — not moving backwards.”
Precinct 2 Commissioner Nannette Samuelson explained that the staff-related budget lines for sheriff, administration and dispatch have increased 54% compared to the 2021-22 budget. She emphasized that between capital funds and ARPA, there is a commitment of $1 million annually, totaling $3 million, aimed at securing necessary safety equipment for the HCSO.
"We want the safety equipment, the ballistic glass, the ammunition, the different firearms that were required, because we want all of our law enforcement to be safe and to go home to their families every day,” Samuelson said. “As Commissioner Andrews has said, this is the opposite of defunding. We want our sheriff's department to have the equipment and safety equipment that they need to be safe.”
Precinct 4 Commissioner Dave Eagle urged attendees to review the video from the Sept. 17 special called meeting in which he presented a PowerPoint detailing the support that the Hood County Commissioners Court has provided to the HCSO in recent years.
“For us to get accused of defunding the police is pretty ridiculous, actually, but I urge you to go take a look at that,” he said.
Eagle also pointed out that a bond measure for up to $50 million will be on the ballot in November to fund the expansion and renovation of the county jail. The bond will include building additional jail space for 209 beds, and refurbishing the current facility, which holds 192 beds — creating a total of 401 beds in the jail.
He noted that the upcoming presidential election could also impact the county’s budget and revenue, adding that it could be “one of the most important presidential elections in our entire history.”
"I appreciate everything the sheriff's department has done, and we support our law enforcement,” Eagle said. “But the sheriff was elected to be the sheriff over the law enforcement. We were elected to watch the budget and to make sure that we're taking care of the taxpayers who are paying for this."
