LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) -
The Angelina Sheriff's Office moved a step closer to removing comp time debt following a meeting with the commissioners' court Tuesday morning.
Sheriff Greg Sanches ran into the problem when he took office Jan. 1 and terminated several employees to make room for a new administrative staff. However, those terminated employees had built up $64,000 worth of comp time, which the office had to take out of its budget.
"And the way the county is here, it is a lot different from a lot of your cities and states and it builds up a lot quicker," Sanches said.
In the meeting Tuesday, Sanches and the commissioners agreed to not fill two secretarial positions, which allows his new staff to make their original salaries. For example, Capt. Alton Lenderman now makes a captain salary, instead of the lieutenant salary he took at the beginning of the year.
It also allows Sanches to fill six other positions for jailers and deputies.
Sanches will address further issues on the budget with commissioners in six months.
"It will get their positions filled right now," said Commissioner Scott Cooper. "They won't be able to give any internal adjustments to salaries until next budget year or until way later in this year. That will be addressed later but it gets the position filled at their current salary level so that the captains are making captains and the lieutenants are making lieutenants in the position that they are supposed to be making."
Sanches says he isn't particularly happy with the solution, but has fixed his problems.
"It only hurts us trying to get the pay raise up, but it will relieve us in trying to relieve our positions, which that will be a good thing. We're going to be positive about this as we look into the future and be positive about that as well," Sanches said.
Sanches should have more information on the pay raises when the Commisioners address the issue again in the summer.
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Sheriff Greg Sanches
County Judge Wes Suiter
