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    Precinct 4 Constable Ron Hood teaching an after-hours “Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events” (CRASE) class, at Dripping Springs High School. “We’re not just sitback-and-do- nothing constable’s offices,” Hood said at the salary grievances

Constables' pay request slashed

CONSTABLE PAY

Three Hays County constables will be getting raises this fiscal year, but for two of them, the amount is less than they had requested.

Precinct 4 Constable Ron Hood and Precinct 1 Constable David Peterson filed salary grievances last month, requesting pay increases of about $26,000. The increase would have put each constable’s salary at $93,824. Precinct 3 Constable Ray Helm asked for a salary increase of about $7,500, to $74,000. Earlier reports had indicated that all five constables would be petitioning the county salary grievance committee for raises of $26,000 each.

The constables’ current salary is $67,762 per year, not including any allowances or longevity pay, county officials said.

When the salary grievance committee met Friday morning, no one argued that the constables did not deserve a pay raise. After some haggling over an amount, the committee voted unanimously to give all constables a salary of $74,000 for Fiscal Year 2019.

Hood spoke on behalf of himself and Peterson, beginning his presentation with an explanation of the history and role of constables in the state of Texas. They are mentioned in the state constitution and are part of the state’s code of criminal procedures.

“We are peace officers first,” Hood said.

He noted that constables fulfill a variety of duties, including serving papers, providing security and fulfilling needs in the community, and that constables and their deputies go through training like any other law enforcement officer.

“We’re not just sit-backand-do- nothing constable’s offices,” he said. With the proposed salary increase to $93,824, Hood said, “we’re asking to be in the midrange” of salaries for similar counties. Hood also said that right now, with the different pay scales for law enforcement personnel and elected officials, there are deputies with nine years of experience making more than a constable with 33 years of experience.

Hood emphasized that he and Peterson were not asking for a tax increase to pay for their pay raise; he argued that the commissioners could find room in the budget to accommodate the salary increase. He cited the recent contract with Tree Folks for $200,000 for planting trees along the Blanco River, a project which he said could have been funded at least partially by grant money.

Peterson presented the committee with seven letters of support from residents of his precinct and reiterated the training and experience that constables have, even though they are elected officials.

“We wear the same badges. We go to the same academies. We have to keep up our training,” he said.

Helm spoke briefly to the salary grievance committee about how his office in Wimberley operates. Wimberley has no police department, he said, so his officers fill in some of the duties that local officers would normally perform for Wimberley, Woodcreek and the Wimberley school district. Those organizations pitch in funding for some of the positions in his office.

Hays County Sheriff Gary Cutler spoke out as the only law enforcement officer on the salary grievance committee and praised the constables for the work they do. He said he was concerned about the amount that Peterson and Hood were requesting but asked the committee to meet a “happy medium.”

“They’re not asking to be at the top of the list,” he said.

District Attorney Wes Mau, another committee member, voiced respect for what the constables do. As the committee continued discussions, he noted, “I don’t hear anybody saying ‘no,’” to a raise.

One member of the committee said that she felt the constables deserve a raise but that $93,000 would be “a big jump.” Another committee member said, “I don’t feel comfortable voting no for any of them. I think they’re underpaid.” County Tax Assessor-Collector Luanne Caraway said she felt that $74,000 for all three constables “makes sense” and made a motion to approve that salary for Hood, Peterson and Helm. In the initial vote, Cutler was the only committee member who voted against a salary of $74,000, stating that he felt they deserved more. However, Cutler changed his mind when it was pointed out that a unanimous vote would make it mandatory for the Hays County Commissioners Court to adopt the salary raise, but a vote of eight to one would mean the decision would go to the commissioners as a recommendation that could be accepted or rejected. In a paper ballot vote, salary grievance committee members voted unanimously for a salary of $74,000 for the three constables.

In a post meeting phone interview with the Century News, Precinct 4 Constable Ron Hood said, “The proposed salary we requested was within the medium range of the market survey. Unfortunately, the grievance committee did not grant that amount, and as a result, the problem hasn’t been resolved. As our subordinates continue to get pay increases from the county, there’s a strong potential that in the near future, they will make more than their constable in salary. As a result, we will have to return to Commissioners Court in the future to fix the problem. Regardless, we look forward to working with Commissioners Court in the future, and getting this problem resolved.”

Dripping Springs Century-News

P.O. Box 732
Dripping Springs, Texas 78620

Phone: (512) 858-4163
Fax: (512) 847-9054