Grant would provide funds for salary increases and for hiring new staff, but the money would only be available thouigh the current State of Texas legislative session,
by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian
Uvalde County Commissioners voted to approve requests made by Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco, Uvalde County Attorney John Dodson and 38th Judicial District Attorney Christina Mitchell requested the Uvalde County Commissioners to vote to approve the allocation of grant fund from Texas Senate Bill 22 to be used for pay increases for Sheriff’s Department’s staff and for the hiring an assistant county attorney and assistant district attorney. The Commissioners Court made the decision at it’s first meeting of the new year on Monday Morning January 8th, 2024
Commissioner Ronnie Garza asked Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Brandon McCutchen, “These salaries are being increased as a result of the grant. What happens when the grant no longer fund it; the salaries stay in place right?”
“That would be up to the Commissioners and what they chose to adopt,” McCutchen said.
Uvalde County Auditor Alice Chapman stepped in and said,” This SB 22 allocation is only valid for this legislative session. The next legislative session, it may be passed and it may not be passed.” She went on to say that the grant is only effective for the next two years.“
Texas Senate Bill 22 which was passed on June 7th, 2023 pertains to the establishment of grant programs to provide financial assistance to qualified sheriff’s offices, constable’s offices, and prosecutor’s offices in rural counties.
According to a report by the Texas State Comptroller’s Office it states the following:
Senate Bill (SB) 22 establishes a grant program that will provide financial assistance to sheriff’s departments, constable’s offices and district and county attorney’s offices in eligible counties to ensure professional law enforcement and legal representation of the people’s interests throughout the state.
Uvalde County Attorney John Dodson makes a request for grant money to hire an assistant county attorney
The new law provides supplemental salaries for different positions in rural areas. Eligible counties can apply for grant funds beginning Jan. 1, 2024, regardless of a particular county’s fiscal start-date. Eligible counties may apply electronically beginning Jan. 1, 2024. In future years, counties and prosecutor’s offices will apply according to the start of their fiscal year.
Eligibility
The Comptroller’s office will use the federal decennial census as the source for the population counts (2020 census data).
A qualified county or prosecutor’s office means the office meets the standards provided by the law.
- Offices must serve counties with overall populations of 300,000 or less.
- If a constable is already making above the minimum annual salary, the county is not eligible for grant funding to increase the salary.
- If a county already pays the minimum salary levels for the sheriff, deputies and jailers, the county may still apply for funds for additional personnel or equipment.
