Sheriff, prosecutor give raises with grants

The Donley County Sheriff’s Department and County Attorney have received state grants that are helping boost salaries and purchase vehicles without putting additional burden on the local taxpayers.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced last week his office has delivered nearly $126 million in financial assistance to rural law enforcement and prosecutor offices as part of a grant program that is addressing challenges faced by these groups in counties with small populations. The Donley County Sheriff’s Department received $250,000, and the county attorney’s office received $100,000.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn said local deputies and jailers/dispatchers saw the new money starting with their March 15 paychecks. County Treasurer Wanda Smith said dispatchers’ salaries went up almost $13,000 a year and deputies’ salaries went up $4,650 thanks to the grant.

“The dispatchers got to see a sizable increase, and they earned it,” Blackburn said “They should have been getting it all along. I appreciate the grant and appreciate the commissioners letting me use it this way.”

Blackburn said the grant will also allow his office to put about $100,000 per year toward vehicles.

“We won’t have our vehicle expenses on the I&S (interest and sinking) tax rate anymore,” the sheriff said.

County Attorney Landon Lambert said due to the terms and requirements of the grant, his office likely won’t be able to use the full $100,000, but he was able to create a full-time position for his assistant.

“We’re going to make that position a Victim Assistance Coordinator,” Lambert said. “We’ve never been able to offer that service in our office; we’ve always had to rely on an interlocal agreement with the district attorney’s office.”

Smith said the grant will give Lambert’s assistant a bump of $21,250 for this fiscal year, moving from a part-time position to a full-time Victim Assistance Coordinator.

“That position was $17,785, but will be $42,500 in the new budget year,” Smith said.

The grants will have to be renewed to keep the salaries at the new levels, but Blackburn said he thinks the state will keep providing the money.

Enacted by Senate Bill 22 during the 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, the program provides for qualified counties and prosecutor offices to apply for grants up to 30 days after the start of their fiscal year. But to jump-start the program in its 2024 inaugural year, the Comptroller’s office allowed all eligible counties to apply for grants from Jan. 1-31, regardless of their fiscal year start date.

The Legislature appropriated $330 million for the 2024-25 biennium to fund the program. The first year saw 502 grant applications.

“These brave men and women embody the grit, determination and spirit that built our state, and which are hallmarks of these rural communities,” Hegar said. “As a sixth generation Texan who grew up farming land in a rural community that relied on law enforcement personnel to wear a lot of different hats, I understand the pressures that these folks feel. It is a privilege to be able to support them through this program, and I’m grateful to the Legislature for trusting me with this.”