As the lull of summer takes over, the Grimes County Commissioner’s Court is staying busy with discussing next year’s budget.
County Judge Joe Fauth said their preliminary total for next year comes in a bit lower than this year’s.
“The preliminary budget is $29,447,110.27, which is smaller than last year’s budget. However, keep in mind, we had a lot of capital in there last year, for the finish of the new Justice Center,” said Fauth. “But, I guess it is always good when we can say we have a smaller budget than the year before.”
That was during a special meeting to discuss the budget recently.
One local citizen raised concerns over safety at a recent meeting, where Johnny Sexton requested more increased law enforcement presence.
Fauth says there was a chunk of change set aside for that.
“For the Sheriff’s Department, and I know they had a larger request than what was submitted…three sheriff’s deputies to get more eyes on the street, and the addition of one School Resource Officer to the Anderson-Shiro Consolidated Independent School District. I have added one constable deputy for Precincts One and Three,” said Fauth. “In looking at the numbers, that will give us at least six and a half more people in law enforcement, to make our visibility more present.”
He also mentioned moving one of the deputy constables in Precinct Two from part time to full time.
All discussions were preliminary, and the budget will be formally approved in late September.