Wichita County Commissioners on Friday received a status report on county salaries and overtime that highlighted staffing shortages in the jail and continued use of out-of-county housing agreements.

Staff reported the county jail is down roughly 16 positions. Commissioners and staff discussed daily staffing calls and the operational pressure of vacancies. Court documentation circulated to commissioners includes recent payroll cycles and overtime detail for review.

Commissioners questioned reported overtime totals appearing in the packet. One commissioner noted a line in the report that appeared to show six-figure amounts for overtime in a single pay period and an extrapolation that annualized overtime could reach multiple millions; staff confirmed the figures required closer review and explanations in the payroll spreadsheet.

The discussion also covered contracts for housing inmates from other counties. Staff noted a recently signed agreement with Knox County and explained an example in which an inmate with finalized charges in Baylor County fell under Baylor’s contract for housing and billing. The county’s practice, as explained in the briefing, is that if an out-of-county inmate requires hospital treatment the county provides transport and care initially, then invoices the sending jurisdiction per the housing agreement.

The session produced no formal changes to staffing or pay policy; commissioners asked staff to review overtime calculations and return with clarifications as needed.

Ending: Commissioners requested follow-up explanations of overtime and staffing numbers and noted continued daily coordination to manage jail staffing shortfalls.