The Hays County Commissioners Court Schedule FY 2019 Budget Workshops

The budget must be completed and approved by October 1. The proposed budget for Hays County should be posted online later this afternoon. It is scheduled to be adopted Sept. 18.

By, Terra Rivers, Managing Editor

The Hays County Commissioners Court discussed potential dates for the FY 2019 Budget Workshops for Aug. 7 and Aug. 14.

Commissioners potentially saw the proposed budget for FY 2019 Tuesday morning. After a brief discussion, commissioners decided to accept the proposed schedule for the two required budget workshops.

Due to an anticipated absence for the workshop on Aug. 14, commissioners are not expected to make any motions or changes to the proposed budget until Aug. 21. Commissioner Mark Jones said he would be listening in to the meeting on Aug. 14 though he will not be physically present.

The budget must be completed and approved by October 1. The proposed budget for Hays County should be posted online later this afternoon. It is scheduled to be adopted Sept. 18.

In other news, the commissioner’s court-approved agenda items 1-12 and 14-18 with a vote of 4-0.

Agenda item 13 would allow the Hays County Sheriff’s office to retrofit a bus to transport inmates. The sheriff requested permission to use savings from the Sheriff’s Office Vehicle Lease g/l fund to pay for the modifications.

According to Sheriff Gary Cutler, the bus was purchased by the Sheriff’s office using the inmate commissary fund from the Texas Department of Public Safety for $15,000. Inmate commissary funds were also used to make the necessary repairs to the vehicle.

The bus is a 2012 International Integrated RE C passenger bus.

Cutler said the vehicle was previously used to transport DPS cadets; even used, it is valued at roughly $200,000.

The estimated cost for retrofitting and any further potential repairs is estimated to be $31,093; the retrofitting work will be completed by the Texas Correctional industries – Ellis Bus Repair Facility. Repairs will be completed by Longhorn International Trucks Ltd.

Currently, the jail uses a 1991 bus to transport inmates, which Cutler said “has seen better days” and “is becoming dangerous to transport inmates” with.

According to the agenda item, the jail has found the need for larger transportation units due to a steady increase in the inmate population. Hays County has 630 inmates in the system at present with a jail capacity of 320.

Commissioner Lon Shell said he felt spending $75,000 or less to retrofit and repair a used bus was more cost effective than buying a new bus.    

Item 13 was passed with a 3-0 vote with Commissioner Ray Whisenant abstaining.