Commissioners hear from resident about deputy pay, discuss Cove annex configuration

By BRITTANY FHOLER 
Cove Leader-Press 

The Coryell County Sheriff’s Office was the focus of several agenda items and the Citizens’ Forum at the Coryell County Commissioners’ Court meeting held Monday morning. 
Donna Taylor shared during the Citizen’s Forum that she had had conversations with two deputies who went reserve and needed to find other jobs. These deputies were bringing home between $900-$1000 every two weeks but were stuck with paying a $500 copay for their health insurance, Taylor explained. Taylor explained that deputies also told her that they would be making more money- nearly $44,000 a year- if they were an assistant manager at Taco Bell. 
“We are losing our finest officers because of the financial way they are being treated and to be honest, I’m angry and ashamed about it,” Taylor told the commissioners. She urged the commissioners to look at the salaries of the different county employees and to also look at how much they’re paying for their health insurance. 
The Sheriff’s Department also received two donations totaling $9,120. One donation, for $100, was an anonymous donation, with the funds directed to go towards the discretionary fund during the holiday season. County Judge John Firth called the donor a secret admirer and Sheriff Scott Williams was grateful for the donation. 
“It makes you feel pretty good folks that are really thinking about the sheriff’s office and the deputies, jailers and communicators and all of my support staff that they’re just wanting to do something nice for them,” Williams said. 
The Sheriff’s Department also received a check for a donation of $9,020 from the Central Texas Starzz basketball program to go towards the Sheriff’s K-9 program. The check was presented by teams coordinator and coach Glenn Johnson, who explained that members of the organization spent numerous hours holding bake sales and car washes to raise the money. 
The commissioners were set to vote on approving $500 and $1000 in modifications to the Ave F Annex and the Justice Center in Copperas Cove but ended up rearranging the occupants of those buildings. The plan was to move the Sheriff’s Office to the Ave F Annex and to move the Indigent Health Department and Veterans Services Officer, Tony Smith, to the Justice Center. At Monday’s meeting, it was decided that Indigent Health and Veterans Services would stay where they are currently located and the Sheriff’s Office would move to the Justice Center after Williams expressed doubt over the Ave F Annex being big enough for the department, especially factoring in parking for the deputies’ patrol cars. 
The commissioners also heard from 52nd Judicial District Attorney Dusty Boyd regarding the considerations from the Courthouse Security Committee.  Boyd said he met with nearly every stakeholder involved on the Square and collected the opinions and recommendations for how to proceed. 
“All the opinions of the stakeholders I visited with was minimize the operational impact with people needing to ingress and egress out of the courthouse but minimizing the expense as well,” Boyd said, adding that he thought the solution they came up with was sustainable for years to come. 
The county has already ordered three portable metal detectors using budgeted funds. Boyd suggested having the three metal detectors placed throughout the Square in connection with court activities. One of the recommendations was to limit entry to the southern entrance on the south side of the Square. This entrance would be where the security screenings would take place using one of the metal detectors. Another recommendation was to place a lock on the basement entry door, which is also the ADA compliant door, that would have a button buzzer and a video camera. People entering through this door would press the buzzer and then a security officer would open the door and screen those entering through that entrance with the second metal detector. 
The third metal detector would be placed across the street at the 7th St County Annex where 440th Judicial District Judge Grant Kinsey and Boyd’s offices are located. The final recommendations are to upgrade the security video equipment at both the 7th St annex and the Coryell County Courthouse and to provide identification cards, produced by the Sheriff’s Department at little to no cost, for employees to bypass the security screening checkpoint. 
The commissioners approved a new burn ban for unincorporated Coryell County at the request of Gatesville Fire Department Chief Billy Vaden after the department responded to several fires, with the largest one burning eight to 10 acres. 
The burn ban does not affect the sale and buying of fireworks for the New Year holiday. The commissioners took no action to restrict fireworks in unincorporated areas of Coryell County. The fireworks period begins December 20 and goes until January 1. 
The commissioners also approved authorizing a contract for a March 6, 2018 joint primary with the Republican and Democratic Parties.