[{"_1":2,"_107":-5,"_108":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,85,95],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6226825,"mediaKeyId","3503826-ce04407238da2a13ac357565eff85d05","parentId",3503826,"title","Assessor‑Collector outlines modest increase, stresses training and postage costs","audioSeconds",478,"startMs",253000,"endMs",731000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3503826-ce04407238da2a13ac357565eff85d05&start=253&end=731","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3503826-ce04407238da2a13ac357565eff85d05/thumbnail_253000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6226825/Kerr-County/Texas/AssessorCollector-outlines-modest-increase-stresses-training-and-postage-costs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6226825-b98961a12322f6f683b3564c953993eb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770664033&Signature=dKR4Y8YX0wMGAry3acEMfqkafT6ZufwL0C6Ojm0wLQCXbWE6FbUoyXJd3Zw0JdRLae2rQ2inMOklWw5av-l185YLhlsyuxVdccdqkV69k3A9lgegnrbw1s9CAerTBtWd5I1e286z0OxPPpvhFO3sC2c4qgIoVTmmDSuRXVIdZeWXH1p6fWGkLVCvxNJcQiz2kIWrgxDe25qdzNW91v65WgaDltoLrH~f7CW9NvlG74HqDrX45f5tAoHXYlEwP6ExbZBB~ozuCvj118-7yLe~I-OPP~UW7WPGlR3VaYE2Fl7wk-WK7sbJ8w4ffWShZ8oh9twjTnptta7t1S2GFYNdiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kerr County, Texas","date","2025-05-25T08:24:59.613Z","article","A representative speaking for the Tax Assessor‑Collector's office told the court the office’s proposed budget represents about a 2% increase and described several unavoidable cost pressures, including postage and biennial voter‑registration work.

Why it matters: the Assessor‑Collector’s office handles registration, titles and tax collections for numerous taxing entities; increased operating costs can affect service delivery and require the court to consider budget tradeoffs.

Key details: the speaker said the budget is \"just about 2% increase,\" and cited specific cost drivers: increased postage driven by mailings for registration renewals; a capital outlay of $8,500 for equipment; increases tied to vendor contracts and insurance; higher travel reimbursements and utility allocations requested by the auditor’s office; and training costs to ensure staff can handle complex, multi‑step transactions. The speaker gave workload figures: \"Last year alone, we processed 62,817 ... 11,202 titles ... and collect tax on 39,900 different parcels,\" noting the office manages transactions for multiple school districts, ESDs, cities and conservation districts.

Service and staffing concerns: the assessor's representative emphasized the need to keep wages competitive to retain staff who handle high‑volume, technical tasks: \"I urge you when you're studying this budget to keep in mind, and every employee and what way you use... They deserve it.\" He also raised vehicle condition and the need to replace aging pickup and Tahoe vehicles used in field work.

Ending: commissioners asked clarifying questions about line items and timing; the assessor's representative said he would provide more detail in subsequent workshops.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Kerr County Budget Workshop, May 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Tax Assessor‑Collector presented a proposed budget that he said represents about a 2% increase overall and cited rising postage, voter‑registration cycle costs and training needs to maintain service levels for title work, vehicle registration and tax collection for multiple jurisdictions.","taxTitle","taxId",54243,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":78,"_47":79,"_49":80,"_51":81,"_53":82,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":83,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":84,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6226829,"Animal services director and deputies urge pay changes, staffing realignment ahead of new shelter",0,11040000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3503826-ce04407238da2a13ac357565eff85d05&start=11040&end=11040","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3503826-ce04407238da2a13ac357565eff85d05/thumbnail_11040000.jpg","/articles/6226829/Kerr-County/Texas/Animal-services-director-and-deputies-urge-pay-changes-staffing-realignment-ahead-of-new-shelter","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6226829-bb161343936f62cb174e6bc56b071255/orig.mp4?Expires=1770664033&Signature=grZCij73dhWP2CUO9wTDjB3X8RGPXCYoQHDy2HCZkSGR2NYE-w0nd9tSDHoPtuw72lWlJATJPWcAbAeVyu7KABEH8jRaeND0LcBJzwtKAvNNfrIIQ0zM6I0K5CnfcQwLcsRC2R33OssHQ1zzERj-e-XLyPxsQs0GF5sjyFh25FzHJRARrXc~YeBpiU3bLbezW552XraqNhfhIoLT5V8PjnIaSwGsMVL-hcpJQGgh~loqltrcUsT5kHkm2eYLAoIv8tz9MTv9-j2eMCbJB6gu4LGC28HahR5d-LoqqWoqXceOFsdJpbiTiR9r7Z16uH1zrEshJwj4vJ7~CuDOBOxs-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","During the budget workshop, Animal Services staff raised staffing and compensation issues tied to the department’s move into a larger shelter and evolving enforcement responsibilities. Senior Deputy Constable Sean Gore spoke to the court about the hybrid law‑enforcement and environmental role deputies perform and asked for market‑aligned compensation to retain experienced deputies.

Why it matters: the department combines animal control, environmental health enforcement (OSSF, illegal dumping/burning), civil process service and other duties. Several deputies and kennel staff have long tenure; staff warned that turnover is costly and that recruiting qualified peace officers with animal‑control experience is difficult.

What staff presented: Sean Gore (who identified himself as \"Senior Deputy Constable, Kerr County Environmental Health and Animal Control\") summarized the job’s duties and urged salary adjustments. In closing he said, \"I'm not asking for more. I'm just asking for the same.\" He described deputies’ mixture of responsibilities — environmental enforcement, civil process service, animal cruelty and nuisance investigations — and emphasized that similar positions in larger jurisdictions pay materially more.

Shelter move and staffing plan: an animal services staff member (unnamed in the transcript) described a plan to eliminate one funded animal control officer position, convert a current part‑time kennel tech to full time, and reclassify the adoption coordinator role into a shelter coordinator position with supervisory duties. The staff member said the net effect yields a modest decrease in salary expense while adding an essential full‑time kennel technician to support operations in the larger facility.

Quotes and numbers: management described the proposed staffing change as an \"elimination of 1 animal control officer position\" with concurrent reassignment: \"We're currently staffed with 4. We're budgeted for 5.\" They said the reclassification would move the coordinator from pay grade 15 to 17 to reflect supervisory responsibility.

Next steps: staff requested formal approval of the staffing realignment and asked HR and the auditor to model the exact payroll effects on the base budget and step plans. Commissioners asked for the detailed salary line items to be prepared for the next budget session.

Ending: the court asked for a follow‑up packet that shows exact line‑item salary changes, clarifies which costs are one‑time (move costs) versus recurring, and confirms maintenance and utility impacts for the new, larger shelter.

","Animal Services staff described operational changes tied to a planned shelter move and asked commissioners to approve a staffing restructure and market‑aligned pay increases for deputy constables who perform combined environmental health and animal control enforcement.",{"_33":86,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":87,"_41":77,"_43":88,"_45":88,"_47":89,"_49":90,"_51":91,"_53":92,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":93,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":94,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6226833,"Road and Bridge seeks new equipment, materials and facility work; commissioners weigh phased projects",8400000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3503826-ce04407238da2a13ac357565eff85d05&start=8400&end=8400","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3503826-ce04407238da2a13ac357565eff85d05/thumbnail_8400000.jpg","/articles/6226833/Kerr-County/Texas/Road-and-Bridge-seeks-new-equipment-materials-and-facility-work-commissioners-weigh-phased-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6226833-2c7f55d9b16d1f651f465f9f5d4d8835/orig.mp4?Expires=1770664033&Signature=btHtiiOhPZ-vJEfh5LlxovSEcBG4WI3IGDJUjwRnej~JLvB-xV3Z-yk6gG7xJcdG~S3pZFVhl~nisev5FXvjzA36E7-VhX6Zug37ZkkJqhvHKoUAI7-pKHcuWvm2nuB79cZ6ITaQCIYLRa43miBh1i4dBI7OyKZxA2gtHrgRe5g7cWaNpYrq6ieDPyruQvS6rOqATLF~qB7IeTlLo27eWMQ-ko2VlnAd6W-rX6Tijwl2Jj~3HUpDkGfSELgIVH0865U1Y1Oo8lgmXGsTIhXrHXDOFy1ul4V66aRPD-h3d0DddtVDCYW~1Li4KGGCp14ogy1sYEECcBcrULciA-3lLQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Road and Bridge Director Brad (first name provided in the workshop) told the Commissioners Court the department’s proposed budget increases largely reflect higher materials prices and a planned capital replacement cycle. He outlined a multi‑year equipment purchase plan and several road or facility projects for the coming fiscal year.

Why it matters: the office asked for a mix of capital outlays — motor grader, heavy trailers, rollers, an oil distributor and a Vermeer chipper — and said the program should reduce future replacement costs after one full rotation of trade‑ins. \"This year should be the last of our higher amounts. The following year, we're probably gonna be just depending on where prices go, but a million, a million 5 is what we'll probably see,\" Brad said.

Key project and cost details: Brad described increased line items for cold mix and aggregate (around a 10–20% increase to allow for bid rises), a 10% cushion for vehicle insurance and a 20% allowance on some materials. He described a request of roughly $5,000 per solar lighted crosswalk assembly to support two new school crosswalk installations requested by Kerr‑ISD for Ranch Arrow Road: \"They're requesting 2. They're gonna be responsible... It's roughly $5,000 for the complete setup.\" Brad also gave an update on the Cave Springs / Bear Creek reconstruction project, saying the contractor J3 had widened sections and replaced culverts.

Facilities and flood risk: commissioners and staff discussed facility maintenance and risk. Brad noted the department sought funding to build portable covered storage over sea containers to protect equipment from hail and weather damage and to add some fencing and site work at the West Koranax property. Commissioners raised Flat Rock Park and the youth exhibit center as county facilities that have aged surfaces; Brad recommended creating placeholders so projects are not forgotten and suggested phased work rather than attempting all sites at once.

What commissioners asked: several members stressed phasing projects to spread funding and minimize risk, especially for park surfaces that may be periodically flooded. One commissioner asked about flood risk at Flat Rock Park; Brad said the area is low and may be inundated at high river events but that delaying maintenance increases future reconstruction cost.

Ending: the court requested staff-level cost breakdowns and suggested prioritizing smaller, high‑impact items or phased approaches to larger facility projects. No formal budget actions were taken at the workshop.

","Road and Bridge staff presented a capital‑heavy budget: heavy equipment purchases, increased materials costs, and a slate of facility and road resurfacing projects including Cave Springs recon and potential work at Flat Rock Park and the youth exhibit center.",{"_33":96,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":97,"_41":98,"_43":99,"_45":100,"_47":101,"_49":102,"_51":103,"_53":104,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":105,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":106,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6226838,"Kerr County sheriff seeks to use Senate Bill 22 money for jail equipment, staff and medical costs",173,2052000,2225000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3503826-ce04407238da2a13ac357565eff85d05&start=2052&end=2225","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3503826-ce04407238da2a13ac357565eff85d05/thumbnail_2052000.jpg","/articles/6226838/Kerr-County/Texas/Kerr-County-sheriff-seeks-to-use-Senate-Bill-22-money-for-jail-equipment-staff-and-medical-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6226838-22169316755f1a88ce549aff428d4d83/orig.mp4?Expires=1770664033&Signature=MwS5CTfRnn1nsFYfMCMt1RFgg7UkemDWwqsD2Ipicgtppq4lAQDXr2t533mGurY34wPBlNtO94iLYiyqh8g3oXu1wnNPqSDVBdVujSBkMe9iRbxs-mn9ZpDRHjyr2hvgmUAr3c3Bi6OAoNOSL4yjjr3QjUddC1vt9vtvwJVypRFyI9uFwK2AtfJxxw3PwIZ8mYgD9y15riCULzuiaIX7d002J5lILx94RuJ-D2bmZ6xuq1-ieJgftgO5hES73As9m4XFSvHLI1H-TPTITiYT4HKYKz2tkOg20ZGazJP5HnUXG4UeBBwSqNNm1H11Cz8bc0S5XVYi02ZLgcpYq8UKmw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sheriff Larry, speaking to the Kerr County Commissioners Court during a budget workshop, asked the court to let him use Senate Bill 22 funds and other non‑tax revenues to cover law enforcement equipment, jail staffing and medical costs. He said he is \"basically asking $270,000\" from the Senate Bill 22 allocation and proposed several other draws on non‑tax funds.

The sheriff put several specific items before the court, saying he wanted to buy an in‑jail body scanner and replace in‑car computers. On the scanner he said: \"Body scanner is hardly $85,000.\"

Why it matters: the sheriff argued the county’s jail population and medical needs are rising and that contracted medical services are increasing. \"This is a lot of money to me, $264,000,\" he said when describing the projected rise in the jail’s contracted medical costs. He said the jail averages several hundred inmates and that contracted provider Wellpath had proposed a substantial increase; he described Wellpath as a key jail medical vendor.

Most important facts: the sheriff told the court he expects out‑of‑county housing revenue to remain an important non‑tax revenue source and offered to reimburse certain items from those receipts. He said some requests are expressly not tax‑payer funded: \"None of this is tax payer money. This is all set of bill money.\" He also described a request to reclassify three existing employees into a new administrative division and to create a part‑time civil deputy paid from Senate Bill 22 money.

Details and supporting information: the sheriff gave a multi‑part list of uses for the Senate Bill 22 funds, including a $283,084 total request referenced in the discussion for multiple jail and equipment items (transcript figures were given in oral remarks). He explained he had applied for grants (including a $72,250 grant for car computers and a $70,740 body‑armor grant) and said he planned to finance some vehicle and technology purchases with a combination of grant proceeds, seizure funds and operational funding.

Commissioners asked several questions about the permanence of any salary changes funded by SB 22 money and whether stipends would be rolled into base pay if the dedicated funds disappear. Sheriff Larry responded that some earlier increases had been written so that, if the SB 22 funds go away, the stipend portion would revert: \"If that money goes away, sign the letter, salary goes back to what it is.\"

The sheriff also asked the court to approve one new jailer to allow him to move toward nine‑person shifts and to help with out‑of‑county housing management, and he described efforts to raise out‑of‑county housing daily rates to increase revenue. He described one financing option for a body scanner the vendor had offered: financing for two years with no interest or extra fees.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to confirm exact dollar amounts and legal constraints on using SB 22 funds, and several members pressed for written documentation showing which increases would be permanent and which would be stipend‑based. The court did not take a formal vote during the workshop; the sheriff’s requests will return with more detailed line‑item and legal clarifications.

","Sheriff Larry asked commissioners to spend portions of Senate Bill 22 funds on equipment, staffing changes and jail medical costs, including a request to buy a body scanner and to reclassify and add positions; he said some requests would be covered by non‑tax revenues such as out‑of‑county housing and seized funds.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Assessor‑Collector outlines modest increase, stresses training and postage costs

Animal services director and deputies urge pay changes, staffing realignment ahead of new shelter

Road and Bridge seeks new equipment, materials and facility work; commissioners weigh phased projects

Kerr County sheriff seeks to use Senate Bill 22 money for jail equipment, staff and medical costs