El Paso County Sheriff’s Office faces over $4 million deficit
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office faces a more than $4 million deficit — up more than $550,000 from last week.
During Monday’s El Paso County Commissioner’s Court meeting, Budget and Finance Director Carmen Candelaria said projected deficit is because of salaries, overtime and meals at the jails.
She also said the department has just over $9 million left in its budget.
At the end of the meeting, county commissioners unanimously approved moving $1.5 million from the county’s operations budget to help with the cost of meals at the jails. They also approved transferring $27,000 from the courthouse security fund to cover the cost of ballistic shields.
ABC-7 spoke to County Judge Ricardo Samaniego who said that issues like over time are not a simple fix.
“You can’t compare that, saving someone’s life versus paying overtime,” said Samaniego.
He did say that the county has a contingency fund to cover the deficit and that the sheriff’s budget will be higher next year.
In August, the department faced a $2.5 million shortfall.
ABC-7 reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment.
He sent ABC-7 a statement:
In response to recent reports regarding the Sheriff’s Office projected budget shortfall, I want to provide additional context to our community.
The increasing year-end projection should not be interpreted to mean that our overtime spending is increasing at the same rate. We have been actively working to control and maintain overtime while continuing to operate two detention facilities and provide law enforcement services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The projection also changes as necessary operating expenses continue to be processed, including inmate food, medical and hospital expenses, facility operations, utilities, fuel, salaries, and other essential costs of operating the Sheriff’s Office.
I take our responsibility to taxpayers seriously. We are reviewing expenditures, reducing costs wherever we safely can, and working with the Budget Team, County Administration, and Commissioners Court. At the same time, I have consistently raised concerns that our funding, particularly for overtime, does not reflect the actual operational needs of the Sheriff’s Office.
My goal is not to argue over a projection. My goal is to work together to identify the actual costs of safely operating the Sheriff’s Office and develop a realistic and sustainable budget so we do not find ourselves facing the same situation again next year.
We will continue to be transparent, accountable, and focused on providing safe and responsible public safety services to the people of El Paso County.
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