Court votes to keep deputy pay raise as previously OK’d

Limestone County Sheriff Chief Deputy Murray Agnew and County Judge Richard Duncan expressed differing opinions on a pay increase for sergeants and lower ranks that had been approved at a previous meeting.

With Precinct 1 Commissioner John McCarver absent from the meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the three other commissioners struggled to come to a consensus on the original goal of the $1.14 per hour pay raise, as the added pressure of the adoption of the budget looms ahead.

Agnew addressed commissioners with a complaint about the higher base pay for Deputy Derek Rostockyj, who works at the courthouse as security Monday through Friday, asking them to consider giving him a smaller raise so all sergeants and below have the same base pay of $19 per hour.

“He’s making more than other deputies simply because of the amount of time he’s been here and he’s under an old system,” Duncan said.

“No sir, whenever he was hired in, what they used to do was when you left, whoever was put in [started] at your salary, which was built in raises which is what everyone in commissioners court disagreed with early on and we changed that,” Agnew said. “We changed that so we can keep everybody at the same pay, the only thing that separates ’em is longevity and length of service and rank, and other than that, the hourly rate is the same. So advocating what you want to do would give him the same raise you’re giving everybody else, throws that all completely out the window and bumps his raise up considerably higher than what everybody else is making.”

Duncan argued the increase he presented and that was approved was the same amount of money for all sergeants and lower ranks, but Agnew responded that since the deputy at hand already makes about a dollar more than all the other deputies, he will still be making more than the others, and his understanding was that the raise was meant to put all deputies on the same base pay of $19 per hour. Precinct 4 Commissioner

Bobby Forrest voiced agreement with Agnew and stated that they had used that same approach to get Road and Bridge employees to the same base-pay rate, which meant some employees received raises of one dollar while others only received 50 cents, as the end goal was for a uniform base pay.

Precinct 3 Commissioner Jerry Allen stated he felt all deputies should get the same amount of raise, and Precinct 2 Commissioner Sonny Baker agreed the previously approved $1.14 raise for sergeants and lower ranks should be adhered to.

Forrest made a motion for all sergeants and below to make a base pay of $19 per hour, but it died on the floor for lack of a second. Allen made a motion to keep the $1.14 per hour raise for all sergeants and below as previously approved and was seconded by Baker; the motion passed 2-1, with Forrest voting against.

There was also some disagreement between commissioners about the need for renewal of “easy on-hold background music,” which plays music over the phone for anyone who calls the courthouse and is put on hold — at a cost of $360 per year. The annual service was renewed with Baker and Forrest voting in favor and Allen voting against.

Duncan announced the vote for adoption of the budget for fiscal year 2020-2021 will be held at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 22, during the regular meeting. The proposed 2020 tax rate is $0.7678 per $100 dollar valuation, and since it exceeds the effective tax rate, a public hearing will be held prior to the adoption of the budget at the Sept. 22 meeting.

In other business, commissioners heard an update from Ed Schwille, technician with the Limestone-Falls

Soil and Water Conservation District, regarding structural repair work for watershed site 16A, located outside of Coolidge. Schwille explained the county is now ready to begin the bidding program for repair work, and that he hoped to get some in-kind work for repairs at sites 24 and 23, so he would be contacting Road and Bridge Administrator Jerry Herrin to try and make an arrangement.

The court approved the renewals of several agreements that did not change since last year, including the Justice AV Solutions “JAVS” Extended Warranty, Preventative Maintenance and Support Agreement; the interlocal agreement between Heart of Texas Council of Governments and Limestone County for Emergency Notifications Services; the statewide automated Victim Notification Service Agreement; 2021 Routine Airport Maintenance Program grant with Texas Department of Transportation - Aviation Division; and the interlocal Cooperation Agreement between Limestone County and Freestone County for inmate housing.

Commissioners also approved an interlocal agreement with the City of Tehuacana for the county to provide labor and materials for oil and sand roadwork in that city, which will pay for other costs.

Commissioners also approved the Texans Feeding Texans Grant for the Senior Center in the amount of $50,000, for delivery of food to homebound seniors in the county through the Meals on Wheels program, a program the county has budgeted to contribute to annually.

In other matters the court:

- Approved the consent agenda;

- Accepted monthly operation reports from county officials;

- Approved the safety report;

- Lifted the County Burn Ban;

- Approved the 2020-2021 Limestone County Holiday Schedule;

- Approved salaries set by district judges for Auditor and Staff/77th & 87th District Court Reporter (no change from last year);

- Approved bid by Goodman’s Heating and A/C in the amount of $9,000 to install AC carrier 5 ton rooftop package unit for Limestone County Detention Center (LCDC); and

- Approved budget transfers #479-County Attorney moving $4,000 from county travel/investigative expenses to office supplies and new law books for copier lease expenses and law book line cost increase;

#480- Tax Assessor-Collector moving $3,190 from conferences/schools and travel to furniture and equipment for a paper shredder;

#481- Jail moving $550 from office supplies to furniture and equipment for new chairs; and

#482- County Clerk moving $3,244 from conferences/schools, travel and office supplies to microfilm supplies for Kofile costs.