Potter County commissioners are weighing a budget that would boost around-the-clock fire coverage, expand pay incentives for sheriff’s deputies, and raise the countywide cost-of-living adjustment, but at the price of a 4.7% property-tax increase.
Leaders say the plan addresses growing public safety concerns after years of staffing shortages, even though it will add to the tax burden for homeowners. For a property valued at the county median of $150,286, the increase equals about $37 a year.
The proposal sets a tax rate of $0.59024 per $100 valuation — divided between $0.54946 for maintenance and operations and $0.04078 for debt service. The final vote is scheduled for Sept. 22, when commissioners will hold the legally required public hearing before adopting the new rate.
At stake are two of the county’s largest departments: the Fire and Rescue service and the Sheriff’s Office. Both have struggled to meet demand under existing budgets, and both made urgent appeals this summer for new funding. Commissioners responded with targeted investments but stopped short of fully meeting all requests, citing the need to balance immediate needs against taxpayer costs and looming future expenses.
Fire Department: More Staff, Delayed Remodel
Assistant Fire Chief Richard Lake made a blunt case to commissioners in August: the department is missing national safety benchmarks and cannot keep relying on volunteers and forced overtime.
He pointed to a structure fire on Aug. 25 when an off-duty accident sidelined three responders. Under federal safety rules, the shortage forced firefighters to delay an interior attack while backup crews assembled — a potentially dangerous pause that underscored the staffing shortfall.
To address that gap, the budget funds six new firefighter positions and adds a Fire Marshal at captain’s pay, paid for from the county’s capital fund. That infusion will allow Stations 3 and 5 to operate around the clock, moving the county closer to compliance with NFPA 1720 standards and new state inspection requirements.
But while staffing increases made the cut, facility improvements did not. Commissioners postponed an $850,000 remodel of Station 5 to preserve reserves for future truck and equipment purchases. They did approve the use of reserves for new breathing apparatus, treating it as a one-time cost.
Lake said the stop-start approach to funding is unsustainable. “It’s been over 10 years since the county bought anything for us out of the general fund,” he told commissioners. “We’ve funded everything out of CAD — hoses, gear, nozzles. We can’t keep coming up here begging for survival every year. We need a plan for the future.”
Sheriff’s Office: Incentives Approved, Raises on Hold
If the Fire Department won new positions, the Sheriff’s Office walked away with expanded incentives but not the across-the-board raises deputies had sought.
Sheriff Brian Thomas told commissioners the jail is running on overtime just to cover minimum staffing. About 15 deputies have left this year alone, and union leaders warned that eight more could resign in coming months. Salaries, they said, lag 10% to 23% below statewide averages.
The Sheriff’s Office requested raises ranging from 10% to 16%, depending on rank. Instead, commissioners approved $183,500 to expand certificate pay — a system of stipends tied to law enforcement licensing levels through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE). Deputies, jailers, and telecommunicators can earn more as they move from basic to intermediate, advanced, and master licenses through training and years of service.
Thomas said the expansion will help retention. “A lot of agencies already offer this kind of incentive,” he said. “We’ve had it, but it’s been minimal. Increasing it is going to make a difference.”
Union leaders, while disappointed that raises didn’t materialize, welcomed the step. Jacob Powell, secretary and treasurer of the Potter County Law Enforcement Association, said the change shows progress. “We did not get everything that we asked for, and we anticipated that there would be some negotiation,” he said. “This is the first time that an employee association has really approached the commissioner’s court in this way, and we appreciate them working with us.”
Powell noted that the association spent three years compiling statewide salary data before presenting its proposal. He urged commissioners to keep meeting with deputies throughout the year rather than letting budget disputes pile up until the fall.
To pay for the new incentives, the court eliminated or reallocated several long-vacant positions, including two jail mental-health posts now covered by contractors, a courthouse security slot, and a deputy clerk position. Together those moves freed about $195,000, covering the cost of the new stipends.
Judge’s Perspective: Tightrope Between Needs and Taxes
County Judge Nancy Tanner said the budget reflects the unavoidable weight of public safety on county finances.
“It’s the hardest part of this job because the taxpayers are watching and they have to pay for all of this,” Tanner said. “We try to keep taxes low, but we also have to take care of our two largest departments, because they take care of us.”
She noted that commissioners avoided a tax increase last year. That decision forced this year’s jump to be higher than it might otherwise have been. Smaller, more regular increases, she said, could soften the blow in the future.
Auditors added that recurring salary costs must be backed by recurring revenue, not one-time federal aid or reserve funds. For a median-valued home in the county, the rate increase will add about $37 to the annual bill.
Looming Challenge: Jail Expansion
Even as this year’s budget takes shape, officials are already bracing for a far larger expense: expanding the county jail.
Overcrowding has forced Potter County to send inmates to multiple other counties. That approach not only drives up transportation costs but also strains security and oversight.
“We’re doing what we can with overtime and contracts, but if we keep sending inmates out, costs go up and control goes down,” Thomas said. “The reality is we need more space and more people to staff it.”
The price tag for such a project could reach $200 million, a daunting figure for a county of Potter’s size. Tanner didn’t hide her concern. “You just made my heart palpitate when you mentioned it,” she told colleagues. “It could be $200 million, and I don’t have a clue how we’re going to do that. But we know it’s needed, and we’ll have to figure out how to pay for it.”
Union leaders cautioned that unless salaries are competitive, staffing a new facility will prove difficult. “Right now we’re fighting to keep deputies in the building we already have,” Powell said. “Expanding without fixing pay won’t solve the problem.”
Public Input and Future Directions
Commissioners said recent town halls and online comments revealed strong public support for targeted pay improvements, especially in public safety. They pledged to continue comparing salaries with other counties and to study longevity or step-pay systems that reward years of service.
For now, though, the budget represents an incremental step rather than a full solution. Fire stations will get more reliable coverage, deputies will see bigger incentives for training and certification, and taxpayers will shoulder a modest increase. But the larger challenges — from staffing parity to jail overcrowding — remain on the horizon.
Key Decisions in the Proposed Budget
Tax rate: $0.59024 per $100 valuation (M&O $0.54946; debt $0.04078)
Public hearing and final vote: Sept. 22, 9 a.m. at the county courthouse
Cost-of-living adjustment (COLA): raised from 2% to 3%
Fire Department: six new firefighter positions funded from capital; Fire Marshal added; Station 5 remodel delayed; breathing gear purchase approved as one-time expense
Sheriff’s Office: $183,500 expansion of certificate pay for deputies, jailers, and telecommunicators; across-the-board raises not adopted
Offsets: elimination/reallocation of vacant or duplicative positions (~$195,000 with benefits)
Looking Ahead
On Sept. 22, commissioners will cast their final vote on the budget and tax rate. If approved, Potter County residents will see their property taxes rise for the first time in two years, with public safety again claiming the largest slice of county spending.
Whether the changes will be enough to stabilize staffing — and whether the county can eventually shoulder the cost of a new jail — will shape budget debates for years to come.
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