And now jailer pay

Looks like some Ector County Detention Center employees will get a piece of the pay raise pie this year.

Ector County commissioners paved the way Thursday for jail sergeants, lieutenants and captains to get a 12 percent pay increase starting Oct. 1. That's 9 percent on top of the 3 percent cost-of-living increase for all county employees approved Monday.

County Judge Susan Redford pushed for the salary increase with the idea that these county employees have the same amount of responsibility that sheriff's deputies do. Commissioners gave first approval for all of Sheriff Mark Donaldson's peace officers to get a pay raise Tuesday.

The jail's budget is separate from the sheriff's office. 

Starting deputies will see a 15 percent salary bump, and seasoned peace officers will get 12 percent extra.

"I'm very pleased," Sheriff Mark Donaldson said. "As far as a stressful job, it's very demanding with lots of things to do and take care of."

Commissioner Barbara Graff pushed for jailer raises before Redford made her proposal Thursday.

"They (jailers) put up with a lot of abuse," Graff said Tuesday.

County auditor David Austin said this latest raise might skew his 2008-'09 estimated budget numbers a little.

Without the jailer increase penciled in, the county should spend about $41.2 million in general fund dollars to cover expenditures planned during the past three days. That's about $3 million more than what revenues should bring in for the year.

Austin said the county will use its reserves to cover the deficit, leaving about $5.8 million in savings for 2008-'09.

But Redford said that's a worse-case scenario. Austin said with the county's numerous positions that haven't been filled this year, payroll vacancies and other revenues could bump reserves up to $12 million in reserves this year - leaving a projected $9 million in reserves at the end of next fiscal year.

Redford said she's projecting a decrease in the property tax rate either way. Commissioners will take up next fiscal year's tax rate Aug. 25.

And the budget could get tweaked further as well. Commissioners will take a final vote on all of their preliminary approvals in September.