County decreases budget

Ector County officials heard “no” more often Tuesday than a woman dragging her kids into a Yanni concert.

County commissioners rejected all requests for new hires and actually took over $20,000 off the proposed fiscal year 2009-2010 budget of $34,340,834 during their daylong budget hearing, said David Austin, county auditor.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Freddie Gardner said County Judge Susan Redford did a good job discussing the county budget with department heads and commissioners before the hearings. That kept the hearings, which often last an entire week, to just one day.

“The departments were very good about cutting their budgets and they didn’t need to come in for a formal hearing,” he said.

 The budget is being kept in line with the 2008-2009 numbers due to several economic factors, including a struggling economy, a decline in mineral property values and lost tax revenue due to the closure of Flint Hills Resources Odessa chemical plant.

But warnings that there wouldn’t be any new positions created didn’t stop an unlucky few officials from trying.

Justice of the Peace Terry Lange, the only one of four justices of the peace to appear during the hearing, was rejected in his request for a new part-time position paying $12,000 a year. Lange said his office has been “overwhelmed” with caseloads.

“We need to look beyond just next year, but to the years to come,” he said. “I need the support staff.”

But Redford said that if commissioners were to grant Lange’s request, they’d have to reopen the process and allow all department heads to do likewise.

“My caseload has increased 22 percent since I took office,” Redford said. “Maybe I could use a new person.”

Commissioners did take some pity on Lange, increasing his travel budget to $1,950 so he could attend a conference at South Padre Island, though Redford and Precinct 3 Commissioner Dale Childers opposed that.

But O.C. Carrillo, building maintenance director, not only had his request for a new part time position and new alarm systems at two senior centers turned down, he had $10,000 taken out of his materials budget.

But he did get the consolation prize of being told he’d be able to roll over funds for a new building for his department if it’s not complete by the start of the new fiscal year Oct. 1.

“I think we did pretty good,” Carrillo said. “Overall, it’s the simplest budget we’ve been through.”

Commissioners plan to work on a few items they didn’t complete today at the end of their regular scheduled meeting Monday.

Among these is a plan to take nursing services at the Ector County Detention Center “in house.” A contract with Star Care, an Odessa company specializing in home health and hospice care, expires soon.

They will also deal with a request from Centers for Children and Families for $10,000 in funding for security at court-ordered supervised visits and exchanges involving non-custodial children.

While commissioners often use budget hearings to try to fund projects on their wish lists, Precinct 2 Commissioner Greg Simmons used his list to try to cut spending.

Simmons proposed cutting county funding to a park and pool in Goldsmith from $24,000 to $20,000. While Precinct 4 Commissioner Armando Rodriguez supported him, Redford, Gardner and Childers voted to keep funding the same.

Redford shot down Simmons’ idea of looking into having the county’s justices of the peace go back to performing medical examiner duties, saying statutes made doing so impossible.

His plan to place courthouse security under the sheriff’s office, which would eliminate the position of chief bailiff, was also a no-go. Sheriff Mark Donaldson said the plan should happen at some point.

“I don’t know if this is the point,” Donaldson said.

“If it’s right next week, why isn’t it right today?” Childers asked.

“When that microphone’s not on, I’ll tell you,” the sheriff responded, pointing to a microphone on the table commissioners sat at.

But Simmons was told the county would look into his idea of renegotiating some vendor contracts because of current economic conditions.

And, with an employee shortage no longer in effect, commissioners did approve his plan to require any new employee hired above a step one pay grade to be approved by the commissioners court. In an attempt to attract new workers, the county had allowed hires up to step five to be made without court approval.

Simmons said after the meeting that he was pleased with the way the hearings went.

“I don’t view this as a win or loss, but to make sure we thought about it,” he said.

Redford said the county doesn’t plan to raise taxes.

“Right now, I think the intent of the county is to not spend any more money than we have in the past and not raise any additional revenue over last year’s budget,” she said.