County denies hazard pay to SO supervisors

Limestone County commissioners court discussed a request from Sheriff Dennis Wilson to add his four supervisors to those receiving hazard pay but, in a split decision, the commissioners turned down his request.

The court wrestled with that decision at its Tuesday, April 14, meeting and also discussed the fact that TDCJ is refusing to take any more county inmates, canceled most of the lots in a newly approved subdivision, declared April 12-18 National Public Telecommunications Week and made other decisions concerning the county’s finances and quality of life.

As for the hazardous duty pay, Wilson argued that the supervisors don’t just stay in their offices but respond to calls, too; and Jail Supervisor David Turrubiarte was actually inside the jail his entire shift.

County Judge Richard Duncan replied that the supervisors are not primarily taking the initial calls, and the deputies making the onthe-ground response were doing the actual hazardous duty.

Pct. 4 Commissioner Bobby Forrest proposed approving the dollar-anhour hazardous duty pay for Turribarte, Investigator Capt. Mark Roark and Patrol Capt. Lee Cox but not Chief Deputy Murray Agnew, a total of $480.

“All of this is about showing respect to our law enforcement, firefighters,” Forrest said. “I checked with Mexia, and even the police chief is getting this.

“We’re saying thank you to those people, and to leave them off just – I know Turrubiarte is in the middle of it; and if there’s a burglary, Roark is the investigator, and he’s going to go in somebody’s house.”

Forrest’s motion died for lack of a second, however.

Then Pct. 1 Commissioner John McCarver proposed the court not provide hazardous duty pay for the four supervisors, and Pct. 3 Commissioner Jerry Allen seconded. That proposal passed with Forrest the only nay vote. “To exclude the salaried employees was wrong,” Forrest said later. Allen spoke later on why he opposed the hazardous duty pay for the supervisors. “ They’re not going to be the first responders,” he said. “That’s why I didn’t vote to give it to them. They’re not going to be the ones to give the first response.”

All the court members were present; Allen was present by telephone.

In a separate matter, Wilson told the commissioners he had received a letter from TDCJ saying it would no longer accept inmates from the county jails because of the COVID-19 virus situation.

Duncan asked Wilson what was going to happen if the jail became too full.

Wilson said he thought the jail would be fine because no employees or inmates had contracted the virus.

In other business, the court agreed to cancel all but three lots in the newly formed Sassafrass Cove Subdivision. The reduction was requested by attorney Bobby Reed on behalf of the Long Bridge Land Company. When the LCAD appraised the lots, the land was determined to be worth $50,000 an acre and none of the lots have been sold. The Limestone County Appraisal District had approved the request.

In another agenda item, the court proclaimed the week of April 12-18 as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week in Limestone County, something the court does every year around this time. Duncan read the proclamation, however, which complimented the dispatchers for their professionalism, compassion and efficiency.

Wilson also gave the court the statistics for March:

• Deputies traveled 724 miles, transporting inmates to TDCJ facilities;

• The cost of that transportation was $3,091;

• The average out-ofcounty population was 30.

• The jail booked in 99 inmates and released 114.

• The average daily population was 120.

• The jail population that morning was 119, of which 93 were male and 26 female; 25 inmates were being held for Freestone County.

• The Dispatch Department received 3,114 calls, of which 1,106 were for 911 service. Wilson also noted that the population at the Limestone County Detention Center, which is the county-owned prison, was 465 that morning.

On a separate matter, the commissioners approved the new Limestone County, Texas, Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan. Emergency Management Director Matt Groveton told the court the county is required to have a plan, and it had been paid for by a grant.

Also at the meeting, the court approved the transfer of up to $85,000 from the LCDC Fund to cover payment of two new Tahoes for the county-owned prison.

In other business, the court took no action to initiate a new burn ban in light of recent rains. On a different matter, Forrest suggested the court encourage Fairgrounds Manager Kenneth Ellis to take some of his accumulated comp time before taking vacation time.

Duncan, however, said he had already discussed this matter with TAC (Texas Association of Counties) and was told the comp time was Ellis’ property and the county could not make him take it. Toward the end of the meeting, the court members retired into executive session to deliberate on the purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property since deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of the governmental body in negotiations with a third person.

When the court returned to regular session, they took no action on what had been discussed.