May 21, 2026 Commissioners Court Workshop Meeting

[00:00:11]

THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE. IT IS 9 A.M. ON MAY 21ST. I'M GOING TO CALL OUR WORKSHOP MEETING TO ORDER. WE'RE GOING TO GO RIGHT INTO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE, THE PUBLIC FORUM. THIS IS THE PUBLIC'S OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE COURT REGARDING ANY COUNTY MATTERS. NO ONE HAS SIGNED UP, BUT IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, THEY CAN COME FORWARD NOW. SEEING NO ONE WILL MOVE

[2. Discussion of phone system upgrade, and all related issues; (Commissioner Stacy - IT Director)]

COMMISSIONER STACEY. YEAH. I'M GOING TO INVITE BRIAN CRENSHAW, THE I.T DIRECTOR, UP HERE. I'M NOT GOING TO STEAL ANY OF HIS THUNDER. I JUST WANT THE COURT TO KNOW. I KNOW THAT Y'ALL REMEMBER THAT LAST BUDGET. THERE WAS AN END OF LIFE ISSUE WITH THE PHONE SYSTEM. SO IT IS MY ASSIGNMENT UNDER THE UNDER THE STRATEGIC PLAN TO LEVERAGE THE COUNTY FOR GROWTH. AND PART OF THAT, WE CREATED A COMMITTEE. BRIAN'S GOING TO GO INTO THAT TO LOOK AT WHAT SOLUTIONS ARE.

WE HAD A GREAT COMMITTEE THAT WENT THROUGH ABOUT EVERY MONDAY FOR 2 OR 3 HOURS, FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, WALKING THROUGH WHAT ALL THESE OPTIONS ARE TO CULL IT DOWN. SO WE HAVE PRETTY GOOD, I THINK, COUNTY WIDE, AT LEAST BUY IN TO WHAT THE SOLUTIONS LOOK LIKE. AND I'M GOING TO HAVE HIM PRESENT KIND OF WHAT THAT WHAT THAT WAS. AND THE GOAL OF THIS ISN'T FOR US TO MAKE A DECISION AS MUCH AS WE HAVE A REPORT. SO NOW WHAT DO WE DO WITH IT? AND SO THAT'S KIND OF OUR QUESTION TO YOU GUYS IS WHAT WOULD YOU NEED TO MAKE A DECISION? AND WHAT WOULD YOU WHAT WOULD YOU ALL LIKE TO SEE NEXT STEP? AND THEN WHAT ELSE DO Y'ALL WANT US TO PRESENT? SO THE GOAL ISN'T FOR THIS TO TAKE FOUR HOURS. IT'S FOR HIM TO GIVE THIS PRESENTATION AND THEN FOR US TO GIVE HIM CLEAR DIRECTIONS ON WHAT HE NEEDS TO BRING BACK TO THE COURT. SO WITH THAT, BRIAN, THANK YOU. SO OUR CURRENT PHONE SYSTEM WAS PURCHASED IN 2017 FOR $250,000 IN 2026. AT THE BEGINNING OF 2026, WE'RE NO LONGER ABLE TO PURCHASE NEW PHONE LICENSES, MEANING WE CAN'T ADD MORE PHONE NUMBERS. AND WE'RE ALSO NOT GETTING SECURITY PATCHES. AND THEN AT THE END OF 2029, WE WILL NO LONGER HAVE ANY SUPPORT. IT'LL BE FULLY END OF LIFE. WE'RE CURRENTLY PAYING $14,000 A YEAR IN MAINTENANCE ON IT, AND 36,000 IN JUST LIKE PHONE SERVICE. SO THAT COMES TO 50 A YEAR. AND BRIAN, THIS IS COUNTY WIDE, RIGHT? THIS IS COUNTY WIDE THROUGH ALL DEPARTMENTS. YES. THE ONLY PLACE THAT'S NOT ON THE PHONE SYSTEM IS ROAD AND BRIDGE. AND THEY JUST HAVE LIKE LANDLINES OR SOMETHING. BUT EVERYWHERE ELSE. SO THAT'S JUST A SUMMARY OF WHAT WE GOT. SO THE PHONE COMMITTEE DID SPAN ACROSS ALL AREAS OF THE COUNTY. WE'VE GOT MELISSA FROM THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE, LEAH, DISTRICT CLERK, JOE, BRIAN AND JARED FROM IT, GRAY AND BROWN, THE FROM THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND JAIL COMMISSIONER. STACEY AND CAMI FROM HR WERE ALL ON THE PHONE COMMITTEE AND I THINK THEY MOST PEOPLE ATTENDED MOST OF THE MEETINGS. SO GOOD BUY IN. I SELECTED ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT PHONE SYSTEMS FOR US TO LOOK AT FOR DIFFERENT REASONS. MITEL IS WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE, SO WE WANTED TO JUST SEE WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE. WE LOOKED AT WEBEX, CISCO'S WEBEX BECAUSE ALL OF OUR NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE IS CISCO, AND WE THOUGHT PERHAPS WE COULD GET SOME KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WORKING TOGETHER STUFF HAPPENING THERE. INTEL IS A SMALLER ONE OFF COMPANY THAT IS KIND OF FOCUSING IN ON GOVERNMENT. SO WE LOOKED AT THEM GO TO'S BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME. SO THEY DO A LOT OF GOVERNMENT STUFF. WE WANTED TO LOOK AT THEM. MICROSOFT TEAMS MICROSOFT OFFERS A PHONE SYSTEM THAT SORT OF HOOKS INTO TEAMS. SO WE LOOKED AT THAT RINGCENTRAL, OUR ISP HOSTS A RING CENTRAL, OH HOST RING CENTRAL. SO WE THOUGHT MAYBE WE COULD GET SOME SYNERGY GOING WITH THE ISP AND RING CENTRAL. AND THEN ZOOM GOT REAL BIG DURING COVID, AND THEY HAVE A PHONE SYSTEM THAT'S KIND OF AN UP AND COMER. AFTER WE LOOKED AT ALL THOSE FOR VARIOUS REASONS, WE ALL NARROWED IT DOWN TO THESE THREE MITEL GO TO AND ZOOM. AND OF THOSE, YOU CAN KIND OF SEPARATE THEM OUT AND SAY THAT THE MITEL ONE IS DISTINCT BECAUSE IT IS AN ON PREM SYSTEM, MEANING ALL OF THE, THE SWITCHES AND THE, THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR IT LIVES

[00:05:02]

AND THOSE, THOSE TWO, JUST LOOKING AT IT FROM A BROADER POINT OF VIEW, THOSE TWO THINGS HAVE A DIFFERENT HAVE DIFFERENT STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. SO AS FAR AS CONTROL, IF YOU'VE GOT AN ON PREM SYSTEM, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE CONTROL. YOU CAN DECIDE WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO DO UPDATES, WHAT UPDATES YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE WITH THE CLOUD STUFF. YOU'RE JUST KIND OF GETTING IT AS IT COMES OUT. WHATEVER THEY THEY HAVE, THE ON PREM SYSTEM IS GOING TO COST MORE UPFRONT. AND THE CLOUD SYSTEM WILL COST LESS. AND THEN THE SAME FOR ONGOING COSTS OR THE EXACT OPPOSITE FOR ONGOING COST TO THE CLOUD SYSTEM IS GOING TO BE MORE ONGOING. AND THE ON PREM WILL BE LESS RELIABILITY. THERE'S NOT REALLY A GOOD OR BAD. IT'S MORE OF A YOUR RELIABILITY IS IN A DIFFERENT PLACE. SO IF YOU HAVE AN ON PREM SYSTEM AND YOUR NETWORK, LIKE YOUR INTERNET OUTBOUND CONNECTION FAILS, THEN MAYBE YOU'D STILL BE ABLE TO CALL THE OFFICE NEXT DOOR OR EVEN ANOTHER BUILDING. YOU KNOW, YOU'LL HAVE SOME INTERNAL CALLING IS GOING TO BE MORE ROBUST. BUT THE CLOUD SYSTEM, IT'S YOU. ALL OF YOUR REMOTE PHONES ARE GOING TO WORK A LOT EASIER. SO IT'S KIND OF A, I DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE TO SAY IT'S BETTER OR WORSE, JUST KIND OF A DIFFERENT PLACE TO PUT YOUR RELIABILITY, SCALABILITY, MUCH EASIER TO ADD TO A CLOUD PHONE SYSTEM. ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS PLUG IN A PHONE AND LOG IT IN WITH THE ON PREM. WE HAVE TO BUY A SWITCH FOR NEW BUILDINGS. IT'S PRETTY EASY TO ADD A PHONE TO JUST AN EXISTING BUILDING, BUT IF YOU GET A NEW AREA, THEN IT'S IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF WORK AND IT DOES TAKE SOME PLANNING AND TIME AND THEN REMOTE WORK MUCH EASIER WITH CLOUD SYSTEM THAN WITH AN ON PREM SYSTEM. THEY WOULD HAVE TO GET A LAYER OF, THEY HAVE TO DIAL INTO THE COUNTY'S NETWORK AND THEN GET OUT TO THE PHONE, WHEREAS A CLOUD SYSTEM JUST GOES RIGHT OUT TO THE PHONE. YOU CAN THINK OF THAT LIKE OUR EMAIL, THE EMAIL, EVERYBODY'S EMAIL JUST GOES RIGHT TO MICROSOFT. THERE'S NO GOING BACK INSIDE OUR NETWORK AND THEN OUT. SO.

THEN AFTER WE LOOKED AT ALL THREE OF THESE, WE DECIDED THESE ARE THE ONES THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET PRICES ON. AND WHEN WE DID THAT, ZOOM GOT KIND OF PRICED THEMSELVES OUT OF IT AND IT NARROWED IT DOWN TO MITEL AND GO TO AND JUST THE BOTTOM LINE NUMBERS. MITEL IS 166 DOWN ONE TIME AND 50 YEARLY AND GO TO IS GOING TO BE A RANGE FROM 82 TO 105 DOWN AND 76 YEARLY. SO THOSE ARE THE THE BIG IMPORTANT NUMBERS. AND THEN I WANT TO EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT WHY WE HAVE A RANGE FROM THE 82,000 TO THE 105,000 THERE. SO THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO THIS IS GOING TO KIND OF CONCENTRATE ON. BUT BEFORE I GET TO THAT PART, I DO WANT TO POINT OUT, LET'S SEE. I KIND OF THIS IS AS FAR AS THE, THE ONE TIME PART OF THE PAYMENT. THIS IS ALL OF THE LINE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE. SO I JUST WANT TO HIT EACH ONE OF THESE REAL QUICK. THIS ONE IS 2000 BECAUSE THAT'S HOW MANY OUTSIDE PHONE NUMBERS WE HAVE 6000 TO, YOU KNOW, 20972204 6000 TO 799 IS OUR RANGE. SO WE HAVE TO PAY FOR TO GET THOSE PORTED. AND THEN THIS IS JUST A FEE THAT THEY CHARGE. WE HAVE 464 USERS NOW. SO THIS IS WHAT THEY WOULD CHARGE US TO IMPLEMENT THAT MANY. THESE NEXT TWO LINES ARE SOME DIFFERENT HARDWARE ITEMS THAT WE NEED TO CONNECT TO. DOOR PHONES AND OVERHEAD PROJECTORS. JUST KIND OF ONE OFF THINGS. AND THEN HERE'S WHERE THE PRICE MIGHT VARY DEPENDING ON WITH THIS. WITH THIS GO TO SYSTEM, WE CAN LET PEOPLE VERY EASILY JUST USE A HEADSET AND NOT HAVE A PHYSICAL PHONE. SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS GO ONCE THIS IS KIND OF MORE FINAL, I WANT TO GO AND SURVEY ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS AND ASK THEM, DO YOU WANT YOUR YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO SEND THEM A SPREADSHEET AND SAY THIS.

ALL THESE ARE ALL THE PHONE NUMBERS I HAVE LISTED FOR YOU. DO YOU WANT A HEADSET OR A PHYSICAL PHONE FOR THIS? AND, YOU KNOW, THEN I CAN TALLY THEM ALL UP AND THAT'LL TELL ME WHETHER THEY'RE GOING TO BE A IF THEY GET A PHYSICAL PHONE, IT'S ACTUALLY CHEAPER. IT'S ONLY $75. AND IF THEY GET A HEADSET, WE GOT IT DOWN TO 127. SO THAT'S DEPENDING ON THE

[00:10:05]

SO THAT'S WHY I KIND OF WANT TO LEAVE IT UP TO THE DEPARTMENTS TO DECIDE. YEAH. YOU KNOW, ANY IDEA IF THAT'S I MEAN, I WANT TO GET TO I'M GETTING IN THE WEEDS. I'M SORRY, BUT THAT'S ALL RIGHT. IS THAT A SIMPLE THING TO DO OR A COMPLEX THING? BECAUSE AS FAR AS KIND OF SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO THE EMPLOYEES AND SAYING, HERE, YOU DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TODAY. BUT EVERY EMPLOYEE IS BY DEFINITION, TEMPORARY. JUST WELL, I WAS GOING TO I WAS GOING TO SEND THAT TO THE DEPARTMENT HEADS AND THEN THE DEPARTMENT HEAD CAN. BUT STILL, EVERY DEPARTMENT HEAD IS RIGHT, WILL BE THERE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AND THEN GONE. IT'S JUST SO WE SHOULD, I THINK, AT LEAST LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENS DOWN THE ROAD AND HOW FLEXIBLE IT IS TO CHANGE THAT OUT. I MEAN, IT'S AS FLEXIBLE AS I MEAN, PROBABLY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS THE DEPARTMENT HEAD WOULD SAY, HEY, THIS PERSON DOESN'T WANT THE HEADSET ANYMORE. CAN WE JUST GET A PHONE? WE WOULD CHARGE IT COST $75. WE CHARGE THAT TO THEIR DEPARTMENT. WE WOULD GO GET THE HEADSET FROM THEM, OR MAYBE THEY WOULD KEEP IT AND USE IT AROUND THEIR OFFICE, AND THAT'D BE THE END OF IT. SO IT'D JUST BE A $75 CHARGE AND WE WOULD INSTALL IT. SO, SO I THINK I'M TRYING TO GET TO THE ROOT OF YOUR QUESTION IS, IS HOW HARD IS IT TO CHANGE? AND WHAT HE'S SAYING IS, IS, IS IT'S JUST A COST, MEANING THE INFRASTRUCTURE WOULD BE THERE.

SO IF THEY NEEDED A PHONE, WE COULD JUST PUT A PHONE. IF SOMEONE HAD A PHONE AND WANTED A HEADSET, WE CAN GIVE THEM A HEADSET. THE QUESTION IS, I KNOW ADMINISTRATIVELY COSTS AND ALL THAT SORT OF STUFF, BUT AS FAR AS THE ACTUAL INFRASTRUCTURE, IT'S PRETTY MUCH THE IT WOULD JUST SAY, WHAT DO YOU WANT? I CAN EITHER PLUG YOU IN A PHONE OR PLUG YOU IN A HEADSET. OKAY. IS THE 73 THE 71,300? THE, THE TOP NUMBER THAT YOU HAVE HERE IS THAT FOR ALL PHONES OR IS THAT PHONES AND HEADSETS THAT. THAT'S IF EVERYONE PICKED A HEADSET. THE HEADSETS ARE MORE EXPENSIVE. OKAY. BUT IF THEY PICK EVERYBODY PICKS A HEADSET. THEY DON'T ALSO GET A PHONE. WHAT IF THE DEPARTMENT WANTS TO HAVE THE OPTION FOR SOMEONE TO GET TIRED OF THEIR HEADSET AND PICK UP THE PHONE FOR HALF THE DAY? I DID NOT. THAT WOULD BE UP TO THE COST. I. I KNOW THAT, BUT WHAT I'M. WHAT I'M SAYING IS, IS TO. WHAT'S THE COST OF THAT? JUST SO WE KNOW, I'D LIKE TO KNOW THAT BECAUSE I, BECAUSE I LISTEN FOR THE TIME IT'S GOING TO TAKE FOR YOU TO GO AROUND AND SURVEY PEOPLE AND THEN TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT. WHEN WE HAVE TURNOVER, IT ALMOST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME NOT TO JUST DO BOTH OFF THE BAT AS A ONE TIME HIT, DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH THAT IS, IS THAT THE COMBINATION OF THESE NUMBERS, YOU ADD THEM UP. OKAY. YEAH, BECAUSE I DON'T I DON'T KNOW THAT WE WANT TO BE IN THE BUSINESS OF STARTING TO MANAGE WHAT KIND OF COMMUNICATION DEVICE PEOPLE HAVE IN THEIR OFFICE. I MEAN, THAT SEEMS CRAZY TO ME. AS WE GROW, IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT TO DO IT. DEAL WITH IT. YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT, BOBBY. I AGREE WITH YOU. AND LIKE I SAY, I DON'T WANT TO GET TOO MUCH IN THE WEEDS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU JUST KNOW WHAT PEOPLE ARE LIKE. AND YOU BRING UP A GREAT POINT. SOMEBODY SAYS, YEAH, I WANT A HEADSET. WELL, IN THE AFTERNOON THEY DON'T BECAUSE IT'S HURTING THEIR EARS OR WHATEVER, AND THEY WANT TO GET RID OF IT.

WELL, NOW I GOT TO HAVE THIS. SO IT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KIND OF MAKING A GOOD LONG TERM DECISION, WHICHEVER WAY WE GO. ALL RIGHT. SO THAT'S THE PART, THE PART THAT WE PAY TO GO TO. BUT THE ONE TIME FEE ALSO INCLUDES SOME OTHER STUFF OR REALLY JUST ONE THING. AND THAT'S PROJECT MANAGEMENT, TRAINING, IMPLEMENTATION. AND

[00:15:06]

WELL, WHEN THE CHANGE COMES AND THE CHANGE WILL COME, WE JUST ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHICH DIRECTION. I MEAN, IT'S IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, IT'S GOING TO SEEM PRETTY SUDDEN BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO BE GETTING OFF OF ONE PONY MID-RACE AND TRYING TO GET ON ANOTHER ONE. SO IF YOU ADD UP THAT WITH THE LOW NUMBER, WE COME TO 82. IF YOU ADD UP THAT WITH THE HIGH NUMBER, WE COME TO 105. I WOULD 165 DO WHAT I SAID COMBINED HEADSET AND AND PHONE. WE'D BE ABOUT 165 OR WELL, I GUESS IT WOULD BE 187 WOULD BE BOTH OF THEM TOGETHER IF YOU DID. IF YOU DID THAT FOR EVERYBODY, IT'D BE 82 PLUS 105. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. BUT SO YEAH, BUT WHAT I THINK IS PROBABLY PRETTY CLOSE IS IF WE JUST PICKED A NUMBER RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OR PRETTY CLOSE TO THE MIDDLE, ABOUT 95. AND THEN IF I DO THIS SURVEY AND SOMEHOW EVERYBODY'S LIKE, NO, WE LOVE HEADSETS, THEN MAYBE I COME BACK AND ASK FOR MORE MONEY, BUT I REALLY DOUBT IT. I DON'T THINK THERE'S GOING TO BE THAT PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE THAT WANTS TO ABANDON A PHYSICAL PHONE. SO, BRIAN, IF WE CHOOSE GO TO, YES, THE MITEL PHONE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE ALL THE DESKTOPS, THOSE JUST GO AWAY. CAN'T THEY HAVE NO, NO USE. THEY THEY COULD BE USED, BUT THEY'D BE IS MY UNDERSTANDING. SO THEY WOULDN'T HAVE ALL THE FEATURES AND EVERYTHING. AND WHEN I ASKED THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT SEEMS LIKE A BAD IDEA TO DO. SO YOU YOU WOULD SELECT DOES GO TO HAVE THEIR OWN PROPRIETARY NO DESKTOP PHONES OR IS THAT SOMETHING YOU WOULD BUY OFF THE SHELF? OR YOU WE COULD BUY ANY SIP COMPATIBLE PHONE. IT'S JUST A PROTOCOL, BUT THEY HAVE RECOMMENDED PHONES THAT ARE LIKE GO TO ENABLED. SO IF WE JUST USE OUR CURRENT PHONE, THEY'D BE LIKE THE BASIC SIP PHONE. IT'D BE VERY STUPID. WE COULDN'T DO A LOT OF THE FEATURES WITH IT. IF YOU GET ONE THAT'S GO TO ENABLED AND, YOU KNOW, COMPATIBLE, AND THE QUOTE THAT I'M GIVING YOU, THAT $75 PER PHONE IS THAT'S THE PHONE THEY RECOMMEND. AND IT IS A MODEL ABOVE THE BASE PHONE. SO THERE WAS A CRUDDY PHONE THAT THEY WERE GOING TO GIVE US. AND WE WERE LIKE, WE WANT A LITTLE BIT BETTER PHONE THAN THAT. SO NOT TO GET TOO DEEP INTO THE WEEDS. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE FEATURES THAT IF WE USE THEIR PHONE, I USE MY PHONE A LOT TO MAKE CALLS AND ANSWER CALLS. AND THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY ALL I USE IT FOR. OTHERS I'M SURE ARE MORE EFFICIENT. THAT'S, THAT'S ENOUGH INTO THE WEEDS WHERE I'M NOT COMFORTABLE ANSWERING WITHOUT GOING BACK TO THEM AND ASKING, OKAY, BUT I WILL DO THAT. I WILL GO AND SAY, TELL ME EXACTLY IF WE USED OUR CURRENT PHONES, RIGHT, WHAT ARE WE GIVING UP? AND IF WE BUY YOUR RECOMMENDED PHONE, WHAT WHAT EXTRA BENEFITS AND FEATURES ARE WE GETTING FROM YOUR PHONE? YEAH, THEY TALKED ME OUT OF THAT PRETTY FAST. OUR PHONES ARE FROM 2017, I THINK. WELL, ANYBODY THAT DEALS WITH GOVERNMENT, YOU KNOW, YOUR FIRST DAY AS A SALESMAN, YOU LEARN END OF LIFE. OH YEAH. AND I HAVE A PHRASE NO LONGER SUPPORTED. RIGHT. AND THAT THAT DRIVES SALES THROUGH THE ROOF.

YEAH. IT'S IT'S TRUE. YES. OKAY. I THINK I'M DONE WITH THAT SLIDE. OKAY. NOW I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE THE MONTHLY A BIT. SO THIS IS HOW MUCH IT WOULD BE PER MONTH 6200. MULTIPLY THAT OUT. THAT'S ABOUT 76 PER YEAR. SOME OTHER THINGS TO POINT OUT HERE. EVERY USER THAT WE HAVE IS GOING TO COST ABOUT TEN BUCKS A MONTH. SO TEN BUCKS PER USER PER MONTH. SO IF WE ADD MORE USERS AND THEN THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO PAY FOR AN AI RECEPTIONIST. AND THAT IS INSTEAD OF RIGHT NOW WHEN WE CALL IN AND YOU SAY PRESS ONE FOR THIS, PRESS ONE FOR THAT OR

[00:20:05]

DO YOU DO YOU GET CALLS FOR JP COURT ALL THE TIME? YEAH, SO DO I. SOME POOR GUY. I COULDN'T I COULDN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND HIS NUMBER YESTERDAY. I GUESS HE'S JUST GOING TO WAIT TILL HE GETS PICKED UP. BUT YEAH, I GET HIM ALL THE TIME. THE GOAL, THE GOAL OF THE AI SYSTEM IS THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE EVERY SINGLE ELECTED OFFICIAL AND DEPARTMENT HEAD SETS UP THEIR OWN AI ASSISTANT. SO WHEN IT WHEN IT LANDS ON THE JAIL, FOR INSTANCE, THEY CAN SET UP AN ENTIRE PROGRAM WHERE IT TELLS THEM HOW TO CONTACT, HOW TO BOND PEOPLE OUT. AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE THE INFORMATION FASTER. THIS ISN'T ABOUT NOT GETTING THE PHONE TO BE ANSWERED. THIS IS ABOUT HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE INFORMATION FASTER, AND HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE TO LAND IN THE RIGHT DEPARTMENTS? BECAUSE COUNTY GOVERNMENT IS CONFUSING. WHAT DO YOU NEED? THE AI SYSTEM WILL START TAKING THEM TO THE DEPARTMENTS THAT THEY NEED.

INTERESTING. GOOD. I THINK THAT'S GOOD. BUT WILL WE HAVE A LIKE ONE BIG NUMBER, LIKE 204, 6000, WHERE IF IT'S A GENERAL NUMBER, THEY CALL AND THEY CAN GO ANYWHERE THEY WANT ON AI BY JUST ASKING THE QUESTIONS. IT'LL JUST BE LIKE OUR MAIN LINE NOW. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. SO WE COULD SO SOMEBODY CALLS IN AND SAYS THE 6000 NUMBER OR WHATEVER, AND THEY SAY, I GOT A TRAFFIC TICKET. THAT NUMBER COULD FOLLOW HIM TO GET HIM TO THE RIGHT PLACE. THAT'S. YES, YES. AWESOME. GOOD. AND THAT'S WHAT THAT'S WHAT WE'LL BE BUILDING THIS WHAT WE ARE PURCHASING IS COMES WITH THEM HELPING US TRAIN IT AND GET IT SET UP BASED OFF OF OUR EXISTING DATA. SO THAT'S GOING TO BE KIND OF PROBABLY AN ONGOING THING WHERE WE GET A REPORT ABOUT THESE CALLS FELL THROUGH AND WE NEED TO ALTER THE WAY IT WORKS OR SOMETHING.

THAT'S THE WAY WHAT I'M EXPECTING IT, HOW I'M EXPECTING IT TO WORK. OKAY. SO I THINK THAT'S THE MONTHLY. I THINK WE'RE GOOD THERE. AND THEN THAT'S REALLY KIND OF THE END OF MY PRESENTATION. THESE ARE JUST SOME OTHER THINGS I WANTED TO HIT. AI VOICE RECEPTIONIST.

WE JUST TALKED ABOUT. THE GO TO SYSTEM WILL GIVE EVERYONE AN INDIVIDUAL FAX NUMBER. RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ONE FAX NUMBER PER DEPARTMENT. I WILL SAY FAXES ARE OBVIOUSLY GOING OUT, BUT WE STILL PEOPLE STILL USE THEM AND NEED THEM FOR CERTAIN REGULATORY REASONS. THIS WILL ALSO GIVE EVERYBODY A SMS SO YOU COULD RECEIVE A TEXT MESSAGE ON YOUR DESK PHONE, BASICALLY. YEAH. SO LET'S LET'S GO INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT. WHAT'S REALLY COOL ABOUT THE GOTO SYSTEM IS THAT PEOPLE CAN TEXT FROM THEIR OFFICE NUMBER, NOT FROM THEIR CELL PHONE NUMBER. THEY'LL HAVE AN APP ON THEIR CELL PHONE THAT IF THAT, IF IT'S NEEDED. AND I'M NOT TRYING TO SAY THAT WE WANT EVERY SINGLE PERSON TEXTING OR I'M NOT TRYING TO GO DOWN THAT RABBIT HOLE. WHAT I'M SAYING IS, IS THAT PEOPLE LIKE US THAT ARE CONSTANTLY TALKING AND TEXTING WITH FOLKS, WE CAN GET INTO THE APP AND TEXT SOMEONE BACK FROM OUR OFFICE NUMBER. CAN THAT BE ENABLED DISABLED PER USER? IT IS AN APP, YES. YEAH, BUT IT'S INCLUDED. THAT'S THE POINT. SO WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY EXTRA FOR IT. SO IT'S LIKE ONCE YOU GET A USER, THE USER HAS ALL OF THIS.

SO THERE'S NOT LIKE A WELL, WE HAVE TO HAVE USER A, USER B USER C TYPE THINGS. SO OBVIOUSLY THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT DON'T TEXT, BUT IT, IT WILL ENABLE A LOT OF THAT STUFF TO HAPPEN. BRIAN. SO JUST HELP ME OUT HERE. SO MY TAIL, THE GO TO LOOKS LIKE THIS IS WHERE YOU'RE LEANING AND SEEMS LIKE IT SOLVES SOME PROBLEMS FOR US. BUT IF WE GO WITH MY TAIL, WE'RE REPLACING OUR UNITS, OUR DESKTOP UNITS, THEY'RE THEY'RE, THEY'RE THE WEAK LINK. THEY'RE WHAT'S NOT SUPPORTED. OR IS IT THE SERVER THAT WE HOUSE THAT'S NOT SUPPORTED? WHAT, WHAT EXACTLY? I GOT THE SAME STORY. WHILE IT'S TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE TO KEEP OUR DESK PHONES, THEY YOU KNOW, THE SALE. I MEAN, THIS IS FROM SALESPEOPLE, BUT THEY WERE LIKE, YOU DO NOT WANT TO DO THAT. YOU'RE GOING TO MISS ALL THESE FEATURES AND STUFF. SO I CAN GET YOU A LIST OF EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING TO NOT WORK AND WOULD WORK IF YOU IF. YEAH, I

[00:25:04]

SO IT HAS A LOT OF THE FEATURES WE'RE GETTING FROM TEAMS. THAT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT FRUSTRATED ME THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS, IS THAT WE DON'T GET A DISCOUNT FOR, FOR SHUTTING DOWN TEAMS, AND WE'VE TRAINED THE ENTIRE COUNTY ON TEAMS. SO I DON'T I'M NOT I DON'T WANT TO LIKE PASS SOME SORT OF POLICY THAT SAYS YOU HAVE TO USE GO TO, BUT IT IS NICE. A LOT OF THE OUTSIDE STUFF BECAUSE WE DO HAVE ZOOM SUBSCRIPTIONS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY, WE COULD END THOSE. THAT'S NOT GOING TO SAVE US A LOT OF MONEY. BUT SO THERE'S SOME OF THAT STUFF THAT WE COULD SAY, NO, YOU HAVE GO TO, YOU HAVE TEAMS. THAT'S ALL THE SOFTWARE WE NEED. BUT IT WAS JUST KIND OF FRUSTRATING THAT MICROSOFT WAS SO EXPENSIVE BECAUSE INTEGRATING A PHONE SYSTEM INTO TEAMS MAKES THE MOST SENSE. SO WHEN HE SAYS ALIGNS WITH TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGY, MOVING TO A SYSTEM LIKE THIS WOULD GET US ON PACE OF WHAT MOST OF THESE TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES ARE DOING. THEREFORE, AT SOME POINT, WE COULD PROBABLY BE ON A TEAM'S PHONE WITHOUT A HUGE JUMP IF MICROSOFT WOULD EVER GET US THERE. BUT ANYWAYS, THAT'S JUST MY FRUSTRATION WITH HOW TECHNOLOGY WORKS. DO DOES THE MITEL NOT PROVIDE THESE FEATURES? AND WITH IT BEING ON PREM, IT DOESN'T PROVIDE ALL THESE FEATURES? NO, IT'S IT'S NOT GOING TO HAVE LIKE THE VIDEO AND ALL OF THAT KIND OF STUFF. SO THE, ONE OF THE BIG BENEFITS THAT THE COURT COURT WILL HAVE TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION IS SOMETHING YOU MENTIONED IF UNLESS THEY GO OUT OF BUSINESS. SO IF GO TO GOES OUT OF BUSINESS OR MERGES OR IS BOUGHT AND STARTS LIMITING FUNCTIONS OR FEATURES, I MEAN, WE WE MAY BE IN TROUBLE, BUT IF MY TAIL GOES OUT OF BUSINESS AND WE OWN THE PHONES, WE OWN THE SYSTEM, WE STILL FUNCTION.

OR AM I LOOKING AT THAT INCORRECTLY? I ACTUALLY THINK WE WOULD BE IN A MUCH BETTER POSITION IF WE WERE ON A CLOUD SYSTEM AND IT WENT OUT OF BUSINESS OR WE, YOU KNOW, HAD LIKE A FEW MONTHS BECAUSE ALL WE WOULD REALLY NEED TO DO IS GET A NEW CLOUD SYSTEM AND REPOINT EVERYBODY. SO GOT IT. SO IT WOULD BE BACK OF HOUSE STUFF. YEAH. SO THEN RIGHT NOW, IF, LET'S SAY ALL OF A SUDDEN MITEL DIDN'T EXIST, AND THEN OUR PHONES HAD SOME PROBLEM THAT WE NEEDED A MANUFACTURERS PATCH. LIKE THERE WAS NO WAY TO FIX IT. YOU CAN'T GET IT TO WORK. WE WOULD BE UP THE CREEK. WE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING. OUR PHONES WOULD BE USELESS BECAUSE THEY ONLY WORK WITH THIS, MY TELEPHONE SYSTEM. SO, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I GUESS THEY WOULD

[00:30:04]

AND I WOULD LIKE, IF WE CAN GET A ROUGH CALCULATION ON THE AI ASSISTANT BECAUSE I'M, I'M, I'M ALL FOR THAT. IT'S GOING TO BE LESS EXPENSIVE THAN A PERSON. BUT I DID SEE $0.16 A MINUTE OR $0.25 A MINUTE. I THAT'S GOING TO RACK UP. THAT'S GOING TO BE WAY MORE THAN $480. OH, OKAY. I SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. YOU WANT YOU WANT ME TO TRY TO GUESS AT HOW MANY. YEAH, YEAH.

JUST A ROUGH, ROUGH ESTIMATION OF BECAUSE AS THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE ALLUDED TO, WE GET A LOT OF CALLS. I GET I GET A COUPLE CALLS, AN HOUR OF SOMEBODY THAT DOESN'T NEED TO BE IN THE COUNTY JUDGE'S CHAMBERS NEEDS TO BE SOMEWHERE ELSE. AND I TRY TO HELP A PROBATION OR ANYWAY DO WELL. IS IT 3000 CREDITS? IS THAT THAT'S 3000 MINUTES. SO THAT'S 50 HOURS. YEAH. OKAY. SO A CREDIT IS IS A MINUTE. YES. YEAH. SO THAT'S 50 HOURS. OKAY. THAT'S I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY ALL RIGHT. AND THEN IF I DID TALK TO HIM ABOUT THAT, THEY SAID IF WE NEEDED TO UP IT AND WE KEEP GETTING OVERAGES, THEN IT WOULD BE REALLY EASY TO, TO JUST PAY THE $0.16 PER MINUTE AND BUY SOME MORE CREDITS. OKAY, 1000 CREDITS OR WHATEVER. ALL RIGHT. IS THAT, IS THAT THAT'S A MONTH. YEAH. YES. OKAY. WELL THEN THAT THAT'S NOT NEAR THE RISK THAT I AND IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE 3000 OR LESS, THEN THERE'S NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE. WE JUST GET CHARGED BY THE WE'RE GOING TO PAY AT LEAST 480. SO WE'RE ALWAYS, EVERY MONTH GOING TO BE PAYING 480 FOR THAT.

RIGHT. BUT AND DO WE IF WE IF WE HAVE CONSISTENTLY 3000 MINUTES, IT NEVER GOES OVER 480.

RIGHT? CORRECT. RIGHT. IT NEVER GOES OVER 480. IT COULD IT COULD GO OR IT NEVER. AS LONG AS WE DON'T GO OVER THE MINUTES. IT'S JUST LIKE AN OLD CELL PHONE PLAN. THE MINUTES DON'T ROLL OVER THOUGH. SO IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CAN BANK A WHOLE BUNCH OF MINUTES UP. YEAH, YEAH.

EVERYBODY REMEMBERS THAT. I GET IT. THESE ARE ROAMING MINUTES. SO SO I GUESS WE KIND OF FRANK'S QUESTION CAN CAN WE GET A SCALE FROM THEM OF, OKAY, SO IF WE WANT 4000 CREDITS, IF WE WANT 5000 CREDITS, WHAT DOES THAT COST LOOK LIKE? SURE. JUST SO WE KNOW. OKAY, SO QUESTIONS I'VE GOT ARE I WANT IT LAID OUT. IF WE KEPT OUR CURRENT PHONES, THESE, YOU KNOW, TABLE, WHAT FEATURES ARE WE GIVING UP IF WE KEEP OUR RIGHT AND THEN A SCALE FOR THE MINUTES. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT I'M FORGETTING. WHAT FEATURES WE GET FROM GO TO BY GOING WITH THEIR RECOMMENDED PHONE PROVIDER BECAUSE THEY RECOMMENDED ONE SAYING WE'RE GOING TO GET MORE FEATURES AND BENEFITS. WHAT WHAT ARE THOSE? I THINK THAT'S, I THINK THAT'LL BE ANSWERED WITH THAT SAME IN THAT SAME TABLE. BUT YEAH, I GOTCHA. OKAY. AND THEN AND THEN WE'LL JUST BRING THIS BACK TO COURT AS A REGULAR AGENDA ITEM SO WE CAN DISCUSS IT. YEP. LOVE IT, LOVE IT. I KNOW I'M LATE AND I JUST REAL QUICK, THE 75,871 PER YEAR, HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO WHAT WE SPEND RIGHT NOW. WE SPEND 5050. OKAY. YEAH. HERE'S THE BEST CHART THAT SHOWS NO NO NO YOU'RE GOOD.

THIS IS THIS IS THE, THE, THE KEY SLIDE. ALL RIGHT. OH, I THINK WE HAD SOME QUESTIONS TOO

[00:35:05]

I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT THAT UP. THE USB HEADSETS ARE WHATEVER. YOU CAN PUT WHATEVER YOU WANT ON THERE. IT'S NOT GOING TO MATTER. YOU COULD BUY A SUPER CHEAP ONE. THIS HEADSET THAT WE GOT ON HERE IS ONE THAT WE AS AN IT DEPARTMENT CHECK, YOU KNOW, WE LIKE IT. SO THAT'S WHY WE ASKED GO TO IF THEY COULD GET US GOOD PRICING ON IT. I THINK IT WAS LIKE 160 OR SOMETHING AND THEY GOT IT DOWN TO 130 PER HEADSET. IF WE CONTRACT THROUGH THEM AND BUY THEM. THE SAME THING WITH THE PHONES. THESE PHONES ARE $75. THE MSRP WAS IT WAS ON THERE, BUT IT WAS WAY MORE. IT WAS DOUBLE, I THINK. IS IT ALL BLUETOOTH ENABLED? IS THAT HOW YOU GET TO YOUR HEADSET? THE HEADSETS WE GOT I THINK ARE 2.4GHZ WIRELESS. THEY MIGHT DO BLUETOOTH TOO, BUT THEY'RE THEY'RE JUST LIKE WIRE WIRE. THOSE WIRELESS HEADSETS THAT WE USE FOR TEAMS AND STUFF. YOU KNOW, IT HAS A LITTLE MIC THAT COMES. YEAH, I DON'T USE THEM, BUT YEAH, BUT WE COULD GET WE CAN GET BLUETOOTH ONES. YOU CAN GET ANYTHING. SO THAT'S WHAT I'M WONDERING. COULD YOU LITERALLY JUST PUT EARBUDS IN AND YEAH, IF YOU HAVE YOUR LAPTOP LAPTOPS, ALMOST ALL HAVE A ROOM MIC, LIKE AN ARRAY MIC IN IT, AND YOU CAN JUST USE THAT. SO YOU CAN USE YOUR CELL PHONE. YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S PRETTY VERSATILE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO I THINK YOU HAVE ENOUGH TO DO, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE ENTIRE PHONE COMMITTEE FOR ALL YOUR WORK. IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN NEEDING TO DISCUSS AND, AND FIGURE OUT WHAT DIRECTION WE'RE GOING SINCE, SINCE I'VE BEEN SITTING AT THIS DAIS. SO THAT

[3. Discussion of TDCRS Rate, and all related issues; (Commissioner Stacy - HR Director)]

COMMISSIONER STACY AND LITERALLY CAMMIE RAN AWAY. I TIMED THIS PERFECTLY, PERFECTLY.

SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO SINCE THE PERSON PRESENTING ISN'T LITERALLY IN THE ROOM. LET'S LET'S LET'S GO AROUND THREE AND GO RIGHT TO FOUR OR YOU KNOW WHAT? LET'S, LET'S TAKE A TEN MINUTE BREAK. ALL RIGHT. IT IT IS. 938. YEAH. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A T ALL RIG8 WE'RE GOING TO RECONVENE INTO OUR REGULAR WORKSHOP MEETING. WE ARE ON AGENDA ITEM THREE, DISCUSSION OF T, D, C, R S RATE AND ALL RELATED ISSUES. COMMISSIONER STACY AND MISS CAMMIE WEBB. YEAH. SO JUST REAL BRIEFLY COURT, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS EVERY YEAR. SO WE THOUGHT SINCE WE WERE KIND OF HAVING A COMPENSATION WORKSHOP, THIS WOULD BE A VERY NATURAL TIME. REMEMBER THAT THIS IS AN END OF YEAR DECISION. BUT AS FAST AS WE MAKE THE DECISION, WE CAN VOTE ON THE DECISION. WE PRETTY MUCH DECIDED AS A COURT, ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT A BINDING ACTION, THAT WE WEREN'T GOING TO ADDRESS THE STIPENDS OR, OR DO ANY OR REDUCE ANY OF THAT STUFF. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE CAMI KIND OF WALK THROUGH WHAT ALL THESE RATES LOOK LIKE, WHAT THE FUNDING LOOKS LIKE, AND SO WE CAN GET INTO THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS ON THIS. SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO HR DIRECTOR WEBB. LOOK AT THAT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. SO TCDRS THIS FIRST SLIDE OR TWO IS MORE FOR THE PEOPLE LISTENING, BECAUSE I KNOW Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE PLAN IS FUNDED, BUT TCDRS IS THE TEXAS COUNTY DISTRICT RETIREMENT SYSTEM. AND THIS PRESENTATION, LIKE COMMISSIONER STACY SAID, IS MAINLY TO DISCUSS PLAN RATES AND POTENTIAL COLA OPTIONS. IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLAN FUNDING IS BASED ON EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS, WHICH IS CURRENTLY 10% OF EMPLOYEE SALARIES, AND ON EMPLOYEE DEPOSITS, WHICH ARE 7% OF THEIR SALARIES. AND BY THE WAY,

[00:40:09]

AND WE CONTINUE TO BENEFIT FROM THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS TODAY. AND THE DECLINE IN THE DECLINE RATE IS DUE TO WHAT THE DECLINE IN THE PERCENTAGE FUNDED RATIO IS DUE MAINLY TO COLAS THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO RETIREES. THOSE TAKE ABOUT 15 YEARS TO PAY OFF. AND IF YOU STACK THOSE ON TOP OF EACH OTHER, THAT'S GOING TO DRIVE YOUR REQUIRED RATE UP AND YOUR FUNDED STATUS DOWN.

TURNOVER CAN IMPACT IT AS WELL. BECAUSE WHEN AN EMPLOYEE STARTS OUT, THEY'RE STARTING AT A STARTING SALARY AND 10% OR 7% OF THE STARTING SALARY IS OBVIOUSLY GOING TO BE MUCH LESS THAN A TENURED EMPLOYEE MAKING MORE. AND IF AN EMPLOYEE LEAVES PRIOR TO VESTING, THAT MONEY JUST SHOULD INCREASE THE FUNDED RATIO, RIGHT? IT'S IT STAYS THERE AND IT CAN CONTINUES TO, TO GROW AT 7%. YEAH. IT'S, IT'S JUST KIND OF, I MEAN, TO ME, KIND OF SURPRISING THAT IT'S SINCE 2011, IT'S ESSENTIALLY BEEN A STEADY DECLINE UNTIL LAST YEAR WHERE WE KIND OF FLATTENED OUT. RIGHT? JUST KIND OF SURPRISING THAT THAT WOULD BE THE CASE. BUT ANYWAY, BECAUSE WE'VE LOOKS LIKE WE'VE BEEN PAYING IN MORE THAN THE REQUIRED RATE MOST OF THOSE YEARS, RIGHT? STILL HAVING A DECLINING FUNDED RATIO. AND THAT'S USUALLY IT. SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, THE COUNTY HAS ELECTED TO PAY MORE THAN THE REQUIRED RATE TO KEEP THAT FUNDED STATUS ABOVE 90% WITHOUT HAVING TO CONTRIBUTE A LUMP SUM AMOUNT. SO. BUT IF YOU IF YOU NOTICE ON THIS HANDOUT THOSE YEARS, WE'VE ALSO GIVEN COLAS. SO THE YEARS THAT WE GIVE COLAS TO RETIREES, WE NEED TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PLAN IS FUNDED. AND BY AND DOING THAT,

[00:45:06]

CORRECT. OKAY. SO CAMMY, THE THE GREEN, AS YOU SAID, THE GREEN WALL AGO, THAT THAT'S SHOWING THE 1670 AS COMMISSIONER STACY SAID THEN EFFECTIVE THIS YEAR, WE WENT TO THE THREE WE WENT TO 3%, AS I RECALL. CORRECT. AND THAT THAT INCREASED THAT IT STILL TOOK IT DOWN FROM THE YEAR BEFORE OF 225,600 ANNUAL COST TO THE COUNTY TO 169. AND THEN I ASSUME THAT THE RED THE RED BOX YOU HAVE PRESENTED TO US IS KIND OF JUST SOME SOME INFORMATION FOR US TO CONSIDER AS WE'RE DOING THE BUDGET. WELL, IN THE WAY I PRESENTED THIS MIGHT BE CONFUSING. WHAT I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO CONSIDER IS IMAGINE A LINE DOWN THE MIDDLE, BECAUSE THESE TWO ARE NOT RELATED. THIS COLUMN THAT IS STRICTLY STIPENDS AND THAT'S PAID DIRECTLY FROM THE COUNTY, NOT TCDRS. I JUST INCLUDED THIS ON HERE TO SHOW THE FULL BENEFIT THAT RETIREES RECEIVE FROM T C, DRS ON THE LEFT, PLUS THE STIPENDS WHICH. SO FOR 2026.

YOU'RE CORRECT. THE COURT APPROVED A 3% FLAT COLA FOR RETIREES, WHICH THE AVERAGE MONTHLY BENEFIT WAS 1772 FOR THIS YEAR. CURRENTLY, ACTUALLY, WELL, AT THE TIME THE BUDGET WAS SET, WE HAD 94 RETIREES RECEIVING A STIPEND AT $150 PER MONTH, WHICH WAS 169,000. SO YOU REFRESH MY MEMORY. THIS WAS AT 300. THIS STIPEND I KNOW SOME TIME AGO. HOW MANY YEARS? WHEN DID WHEN WAS IT 300. WHAT YEAR? AND THEN WHEN WAS WHEN WAS IT REDUCED? THE MOST RECENT YEAR WAS 2024. IT WAS $300 PER MONTH IN 2025. IT WAS REDUCED TO $200 PER MONTH. AND THEN IN 2026, IT IS $150 PER MONTH. AND I KNOW LAST YEAR THERE WAS AN ATTEMPT TO OFFSET SOME OF THE PREVIOUS REDUCTION WITH A COLA. I KNOW THAT'S HOW WE KIND OF SET IT, ALTHOUGH PEOPLE THAT WEREN'T ON THE STIPEND ALSO GOT A COLA. AND WHAT WAS THE WHAT WAS THE IMPACT OF THE COLA FROM.

IF YOU GO FROM 24 WHEN IT WAS 300 TO 150, WHAT WAS THE IMPACT, DOLLAR WISE OF OUR COLAS DURING THAT TIME FRAME TO THE RETIREES, TO THE RETIREES? YOU TELL ME THAT. 300 WOULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN

[00:50:06]

LIKE I SAID LAST YEAR, I'LL GO ON THE RECORD AGAIN. IT'S A LITTLE MORBID, BUT THIS IS GOING TO GO AWAY OVER TIME. AND ARE WE DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE? AND I WOULD ARGUE, AND WHILE I RESPECT THE DECISION, I WASN'T HERE. BUT WHILE I WOULD ARGUE THAT WE DID NOT BECAUSE WE MADE THEM WORSE OFF WHILE MAKING OTHER RETIREES BETTER. YOUR YOUR. YOU'RE MISSING ONE. ONE IMPORTANT STEP THAT WE ALSO TOOK, AND THAT IS NOT KEEPING IT OPEN TO EVERYBODY. SO, SO ACTUALLY, THIS WAS ON A CRASH COURSE OF DISASTER. I AGREE. SO SO MY GOAL IN STARTING DOWN THIS PATH WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR RISK WAS ACTUARIAL RISK AND NOT AN INDEFINITE RISK TO THE PLAN. SO IT WAS TRYING TO SHIFT AS MUCH COST INTO THE ACTUARIAL TABLES AS POSSIBLE. BUT I DO UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM. BUT ALL THIS COURT HAS TO DO IS FLIP THE SWITCH. AND THEN WE COULD WE COULD HAVE THIS THING UP TO ABOUT A MILLION AND A HALF DOLLARS ANNUALLY ON THIS STIPEND. SO THE GOAL WAS TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE TAIL OFF SOMETHING THAT HAS AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF RISK TO THE COUNTY IN THE FUTURE AS FAR AS BEING ABLE TO, TO, TO HIT THE FLOODGATES. SO IT IS A TWO PRONGED THING, WHICH MEANS THIS COURT DID END IT FOR ANY FUTURE RETIREES, WHICH IS A BIG THING. AND NOW WE'RE ON THE TAIL END, WHICH IS WHY I DID AGREE LAST YEAR TO STOP PUSHING FOR A REDUCTION AND KEEP IT AT 150.

AS LONG AS THE COURT IS AGREEING, YOU KNOW, NOT TO NOT TO TURN THAT FLOODGATE BACK ON.

YEAH, I DON'T WANT TO TURN IT ON. I AGREE WITH YOU THAT IF WE'D HAVE KEPT THIS GOING, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A NIGHTMARE TO TRY TO FUND FOR THE COUNTY. BUT WE DID TURN IT OFF. AND WE WE KNEW THE SET NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WERE CURRENTLY ON IT. AND MY CONCERN WAS THAT WE TURNED IT OFF AND TOOK THEIR MONEY FROM THEM THAT WE HAD BEEN GIVING THEM WITHOUT MAKING UP THE DIFFERENCE. SO YOU ESSENTIALLY CUT THEIR RETIREMENT, YOU HURT THEIR RETIREMENT BY DOING IT THE WAY WE DID IT VERSUS SAYING, WE'RE GOING TO END THIS GOING FORWARD AND YOU'RE GRANDFATHERED IN, CONGRATULATIONS. WE'RE GOING TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND TAKE CARE OF YOU UNTIL THIS IS OFF OUR BOOKS, WHICH IT WILL BE EVENTUALLY. I HOPE THESE PEOPLE LIVE FOREVER, BUT THAT'S JUST NOT REALITY. AND THAT'S WHERE MY CONCERN IS. I UNDERSTAND ENDING IT BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I COMPLETELY 100% AGREE. I DON'T AGREE WITH HOW WE IMPACTED THIS SET OF RETIREES. THAT'S ALL. OKAY. IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I DO WANT TO POINT OUT REAL QUICK THAT LOOKING AT THE HISTORY OF COLAS. SO WE DID GIVE A 3% COLA LAST YEAR, WHICH AS YOU LOOK AT AS COMMISSIONER LICHTY POINTED OUT, OUR OUR FUNDED RATIO IS JUST TRICKLING, TRICKLING DOWN. AND WE DO WANT TO MAINTAIN THAT AT 90% OR BETTER, WHICH I THINK IS REALLY WELL FUNDED ACCORDING TO TCDRS IT'S REALLY WELL FUNDED. BUT OUR REQUIRED RATE IS GOING TO BE REALLY CLOSE TO 10% WHEN THAT COLA TAKES EFFECT. SO IF WE'RE GOING TO PUT ANY EXTRA INTO IT, I THINK FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT ABOVE A 10% ELECTED RATE. THIS COMING BUDGET. OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT. OVERVIEW OF PLAN OPTIONS. SO EACH YEAR THE TCDRS WAIT, WAIT A MINUTE. I'M SORRY. WAIT A MINUTE. I'VE GONE TO THE NEXT SLIDE. WOULD YOU LIKE FOR ME TO GO BACK? FORGET IT. OKAY. EACH YEAR, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS DETERMINES WHAT COUNTIES MAY OFFER THEIR RETIREES IN THE FORM OF A COLA FOR 2027. THE

[00:55:06]

AND AS YOU MOVE TO THE RIGHT, YOU CAN SEE THE IMPACT OF A 1%, 2%, AND 3% FLAT COLA. AND WHAT THAT DOES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PAGE TO THE FUNDED RATIO. OKAY, SO WAIT, WAIT, WAIT. SO RIGHT NOW, IF WE GIVE ZERO COLA, IF I'M READING THIS, RIGHT ARE UNFUNDED ACTUARIAL LIABILITY IS 10,099,000 AND CHANGE, RIGHT? CORRECT. IF EVERYONE WHO'S ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE WERE TO RETIRE IN 2027, THAT'S HOW MUCH THE COUNTY WOULD NEED TO COME UP WITH TO MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE. IF IF EVERYONE WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE RIGHT NOW DID RETIRE RIGHT NOW OR IN 2027.

YES. YEAH. BUT THAT'S THAT'S HOW MUCH WE WOULD BE UNDERFUNDED BY. WHICH BUT WOULD BE PAID OUT OVER THEIR RETIREMENT PERIOD. AND IS IT NORMAL FOR COUNTIES TO BE UNFUNDED, UNDERFUNDED? THAT'S NORMAL. RIGHT? IT IS BECAUSE THAT THAT 10 MILLION REPRESENTS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 91.9% AND 100% FUNDED. AND I FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND FROM OUR TCDRS REP, THERE ARE ROCKWALL COUNTY IS IN VERY GOOD SHAPE BY BEING IN THE 90% RANGE. OTHER COUNTIES ARE COULD BE MUCH LESS. WELL, IT'S AND IT'S IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THAT FOR ME PERSONALLY, AND I'M SURE FOR EVERYBODY ELSE IN THIS COURT TO UNDERSTAND THAT AND FOR EVERYONE WHO'S LISTENING TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT THE FACT THAT WE ARE UNDERFUNDED BY $10 MILLION DOES NOT MEAN THAT OUR RETIREMENT SYSTEMS IN JEOPARDY. IT'S ABSOLUTELY NOT. IT'S VERY HEALTHY. CORRECT. IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT IS TYPICAL TO THE INDUSTRY AND NOT TO COUNTY INDUSTRIES, TO THE PENSION INDUSTRY. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. OKAY. WE HAVE AND IF IF WE WENT TO A 3% COLA. OUR ACTUARIAL UNFUNDED LIABILITY WOULD GO TO 11.3 MILLION IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING CORRECT. AND OUR REQUIRED RATE WOULD THEN BE BUMPED UP TO 10.9% RATHER THAN WHAT WE CURRENTLY PUT IN AT 10%. IF WE WENT, IT WOULD BE BUMPED TO 10%. OKAY, YEAH, I SEE THAT.

YEP. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO THESE ARE JUST SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT PLAN RATES AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ELECT TO CONTRIBUTE A HIGHER PERCENTAGE THAN THE REQUIRED RATE, AND THEN TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE IMPACTS OF COLAS, AS JUDGE NJOO SAID, THIS THIS DECISION IS NOT DUE TO TCDRS UNTIL DECEMBER 15TH. HOWEVER, IF YOU MAKE CHANGES, OF COURSE THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME BUDGET IMPACT THAT YOU'LL WANT TO THINK ABOUT.

SO. AND THEN MY QUESTION TO THE COURT IS KIND OF GIVEN THIS INFORMATION, MY PREFERENCE WOULD BE FOR US TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS BEFORE THE BUDGET SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.

AND SO WITH THAT, IT WOULD IT BE OKAY IF WE KIND OF THE LAST COURT IN JUNE PUT THIS BACK ON FOR ACTION, OR IS THAT TOO SOON? OR ARE THERE OTHER QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ASKED? BECAUSE

[01:00:01]

OKAY. SO SO SO HERE'S WHAT WE'LL JUST TRY TO GET THIS AS EARLY IN THE BUDGET PROCESS AS POSSIBLE. HOW ABOUT WE JUST WE HAVE THE INFORMATION, CAMI CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, WE CAN MAKE OUR DETERMINATION. AND THEN THE SECOND WE KNOW WHAT THESE NUMBERS ARE, WE'LL JUST JUMP IN AND MAKE THIS DETERMINATION. OR WE CAN HAVE IT BEFORE. I DON'T MEAN TO PREEMPT IT, BUT I DO AGREE WITH YOU. I MEAN, AT SOME POINT WE HAVE TO KNOW WHAT THE BUDGET LOOKS LIKE, WHAT EVERYTHING IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE AND HOW THAT'S GOING TO SHAPE UP.

COMMISSIONER STACEY OR CAMI, DO, DO YOU HAVE A, A, A, I GUESS A REPORT THAT SHOWS THE PERCENTAGE OF RETIREES THAT ARE RETIRING, THAT ONE THAT COULD RETIRE? THAT'D BE THE FIRST ONE.

I MEAN, I CAN GET THAT A COUPLE OF US ON THE ON THE QUARTER IN THAT GROUP. BUT BUT MY POINT IS, IS WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? AND THEN HISTORICALLY, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? ALSO AS FAR AS. OUR OUR HISTORY OF ACTUALS, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING TO LOOK AT BECAUSE THAT WAY WE COULD KIND OF PLAY WITH SOME NUMBERS ON THIS, THIS UNFUNDED AND OKAY, I'LL, I'LL DISCUSS WITH YOU AFTERWARD JUST TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE ASKING ME FOR. AND THEN YES, I CAN GET THAT INFORMATION FROM TCDRS. OKAY. ONE ARE YOU DONE? ONE QUESTION. SO LOOKING AT THIS CHART, IF I'M INTERPRETING THIS CORRECTLY, THE LOWEST AMOUNT THAT WE HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE THIS YEAR WOULD BE NO COLA REQUIRED RATE WOULD BE $3,078,811. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT. AND THE HIGHEST AMOUNT. WELL ASSUMING WE DON'T GO TO A CPI, IF WE WENT TO A 3% FLAT, THE HIGHEST AMOUNT WE WOULD BE WE COULD CONTRIBUTE AT THE 10% WOULD BE 3 MILLION 293. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A $215,000 DIFFERENCE. THAT'S BASED ON TODAY'S SALARIES THOUGH. YES. THE CONTRIBUTIONS BASED ON TODAY'S SALARIES, RATHER THAN IF Y'ALL WERE TO GIVE A MERIT OR COLA TO CURRENT EMPLOYEES, THEN THAT CONTRIBUTION WOULD BE MORE THE COUNTY'S CONTRIBUTION WOULD BE MORE BECAUSE. BUT THE DELTA BETWEEN THOSE TWO NUMBERS SHOULD BE RELATIVELY. OH THAT'S TRUE. YES. RIGHT. SO WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH IS A DECISION BECAUSE WE GOT WE HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE THE 3,000,078 811. WE COULD GO AS HIGH AS THE 3 MILLION 293 AGAIN, UNLESS WE WANTED TO GO INTO 100% CPI. BUT I DON'T THINK ANYBODY WOULD. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHATEVER THE DIFFERENCE WE MAKE IS GOING TO BE SETTING THE BUDGET $215,000 DIFFERENCE, BASICALLY SOMEWHERE IN THAT RANGE. CORRECT. WE'RE EITHER GOING TO STAY AT THE MINIMUM, OR WE COULD GO AS HIGH AS 215,000 MORE. OKAY. AND JUST AGAIN, FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, COULD YOU GET US WHAT OUR TRAILING CPI NUMBER IS? BECAUSE I WAS KIND OF SURPRISED WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT MADE TO GO TO 100% CPI, BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK INFLATION WAS THAT HIGH RIGHT NOW. BUT YOU'RE YOU'RE CATCHING UP. PEOPLE THAT RETIRED IN THE 90S. THIS THIS IS THIS IS AN ACTUARIAL POSITION. SO YOU'RE YOU'RE TAKING SO SO I'M GOING TO TRY TO EXPLAIN IT. IF IT'S A CRAZY RABBIT TRAIL, WE CAN TALK OFFLINE. SO IF I RETIRE IN 1995 AND I'M MAKING $1,000, YOU HAVE TO ADJUST THAT ALL THE WAY UP TO TODAY'S DOLLARS ON WHAT THAT

[01:05:01]

IT IS NOT OKAY. THAT'S THEN NOW I UNDERSTAND. YEAH. YEAH. OKAY, NOW I UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU.

APPRECIATE THAT. NO, I WAS JUST LIKE, I WAS LIKE, WE COULD GET OFF ON THE WEEDS, AN ACTUARIAL TABLE. BUT THAT'S, THAT'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE. IT IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE. WHICH IS WHICH IS YEAH, THE THOUGHT PROCESS IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU'RE THINKING. AND, AND THAT'S WHY WE WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK 11 YEARS OR SO. SO REALLY THE TRAILING TO IF WE WANTED TO LOOK AT CPI CALCULATION, THE TRAILING 12 MONTHS IS RELATIVELY IRRELEVANT. IT IS, WHICH IS WHAT I WAS TRYING TO GET TO WITH YOUR QUESTION IS THAT THAT DOESN'T GET US ANYWHERE. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU. HR DIRECTOR WEBB THANK YOU. AND THEN AND THEN WE WILL JUST BRING THIS BACK. ONCE YOU WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE BUDGET, WE'LL PUT THIS ON THAT COURT BECAUSE I THINK WE'LL BE READY TO ACT BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS SEEN THIS INFORMATION. YEAH. AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, I'M NOT AGAINST BRINGING IT BACK BEFORE BECAUSE THERE IS BENEFIT TO KNOWING WHERE THE COURT WANTS TO GO. BUT IT IS KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOUR PARENTS GOING INTO WALMART, YOU ARE NOT GETTING ANYTHING. DON'T ASK. WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO BUY ANY TOYS. SO UNTIL WE KNOW WHAT MONEY WE HAVE, YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S MAYBE I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT GOT TOLD THAT GOING INTO WALMART. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. LET'S MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM FOR DISCUSSION OF COMPENSATION

[4. Discussion of Compensation Buckets, and all related issues; (Commissioner Gallana)]

THE REQUIREMENTS ARE THAT THERE HAS TO BE A POLICY IN PLACE BY THE COUNTY, WHICH WE DO. AND AS FAR AS COMP TIME ACCRUALS, IT STILL MUST BE 1.5 HOURS OF OVERTIME OF OVERTIME HOURS WORKED. SO IT'S THE SAME AS IF YOU WERE TO PAY IT OUT AT ONE AND A HALF TIMES THE HOURLY RATE, THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE ACCRUAL LIMIT UNDER THIS RULE IS 240 HOURS OF COMP TIME FOR MOST EMPLOYEES, EXCEPT FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. SO LAW ENFORCEMENT, THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO ACCRUE UP TO 480 HOURS, 240 AND 480. THOSE ARE THE MAXIMUM AMOUNTS YOU CAN WORK AN

[01:10:04]

HOPEFULLY THAT. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? OKAY. OKAY. THE ROCKWALL COUNTY CURRENT POLICY ON OVERTIME COMPENSATION. I JUST COPY AND PASTED OUR VERBIAGE IN HERE. BUT BASICALLY OVERTIME COMPENSATION SHALL BE PAID IN THE FORM OF COMP TIME OFF IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT, WHICH WE FALL UNDER, THAT WE COMPLY WITH THAT. COVERED EMPLOYEES SHALL RECEIVE COMP TIME OFF WITH PAY AT A RATE OF ONE AND A HALF TIMES THE AMOUNT OF OVERTIME WORKED, THE MAX COMP TIME THAT CAN BE ACCRUED IS 40. AND AGAIN, SOME COUNTIES DO 240 OR 480. BUT OURS IS 40. AND OUR POLICY STATES THAT EMPLOYEES SHALL BE ALLOWED.

THEY SHALL BE ALLOWED TO USE EARNED COMP TIME WITHIN A REASONABLE PERIOD AFTER IT'S REQUESTED. AND THE SUPERVISOR HAS THE DISCRETION TO DECIDE WHETHER THAT CAUSES AN UNDUE HARDSHIP. SO COMP TIME MUST BE SCHEDULED WITH THE SUPERVISOR, BUT IT LEAVES SOME FLEXIBILITY TO THE EMPLOYEES AS TO WHEN THEY USE THE COMP TIME. SO THAT'S WHAT THE COUNTY POLICY SAYS, HOW IT'S BEING USED. AGAIN, WHEN THEIR COMP BUCKETS HIT 40 HOURS, EMPLOYEES WILL RECEIVE TIME AND A HALF CASH FOR ANY OVERTIME HOURS WORKED. COMP TIME OFF MAY BE USED IN LIEU OF VACATION HOURS, AND COMP BUCKETS ARE TYPICALLY AT 40 HOURS. THEY'RE MAXED OUT PRETTY QUICKLY, SO THOSE HOURS COULD SIT THERE FOR YEARS. IF AN EMPLOYEE ACCRUES ALL 40 HOURS IN THE FIRST MONTH, THEY'RE EMPLOYED AND THEY'RE HERE 20 YEARS AND THEY LEAVE.

WE HAVE TO CASH THAT OUT. IF THEY HAVE ANY COMP TIME IN THAT BUCKET, IT HAS TO BE CASHED OUT AT THE RATE THAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY AT. I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION. YES. SO IF SOMEBODY CHOOSES TO USE COMP TIME IN LIEU OF VACATION HOURS, ESSENTIALLY THEY'RE GETTING TIME AND A HALF FOR THAT AND WOULD VACATION JUST BE STRAIGHT TIME. THAT'S CORRECT. IT'S THE PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR MAY WANT TO TRUMP ME, BUT IF I DON'T EXPLAIN IT CORRECTLY, IT'S ACCRUED AT TIME AND A HALF. BUT WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT YOUR COMP BUCKET VERSUS VACATION HOURS, IT'S OUR, FOR OUR, IT'S JUST YOU ACCRUE. IT JUST INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF HOURS YOU CAN HAVE FOR COMP TIME. NOT THAT YOU'RE GETTING TIME AND A HALF. OKAY. YES. ALL RIGHT.

OKAY. THANK YOU TO THE NEXT SLIDE. SO WE'RE SOMEWHAT LIMITED WITH OUR PROGRAM AS FAR AS THE INFORMATION AND DATA THAT I CAN PROVIDE TO YOU. BUT THIS SLIDE SHOWS A SNAPSHOT IN TIME THAT THE TREASURER'S OFFICE WAS ABLE TO GIVE TO US, SHOWING AT THESE POINTS IN TIME, HOW MANY HOURS WERE IN COMP BUCKETS TOTAL AND THE VALUE OF THOSE HOURS. SO IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024, WE HAD 6162 HOURS, AND THE VALUE OF THOSE HOURS WERE 193,000 IN 2025. IN SEPTEMBER, THERE WERE ABOUT 6300 HOURS, WHICH WAS A VALUE OF 203,000. AND THEN MOST RECENTLY IN APRIL OF 26, THERE WERE ABOUT 6800 HOURS ACCUMULATED. AND THE VALUE OF THOSE HOURS IS ABOUT

[01:15:01]

WELL, LET ME SHOW YOU THE NEXT SLIDE. SO I WHAT I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO BEEN ABLE TO DO WOULD BE TO PROVIDE IF, IF I'M EARNING COMP TIME, WHAT'S THE VALUE OF THAT? I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT. IT'S IF YOU IF YOU PULL THE AVERAGE DOLLAR VALUE OF THE COMP TIME I ACCRUED. THAT'S WHAT I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO, TO PROVIDE TO YOU AN ACTUAL NUMBER, BUT I HAD TO AVERAGE IT. SO IF WE WERE TO PUT A VALUE TO THE COMP HOURS EARNED IN 2024, WHICH THE SNAPSHOT. THAT'S JUST THAT DAY. I DON'T KNOW WHEN THESE 6000 HOURS WERE ACCRUED.

ON THE NEXT SLIDE, THE AVERAGE OVERTIME COMP VALUES. THAT WAS MY ATTEMPT OF SAYING, OKAY, NET DATA WILL PULL HOW MANY AVERAGE HOURS OF COMP TIME WERE ACCRUED THAT YEAR, BUT I WAS NOT ABLE TO TIE AN ACTUAL DOLLAR AMOUNT TO IT, TO THE COMP TIME. NOW FOR THE OVERTIME PAID, WE WERE ABLE TO PULL AN ACTUAL DOLLAR AMOUNT TO THAT. SO TO GIVE A VERY. AVERAGE DOLLAR AMOUNT OR VALUE TO THAT IN 2024, IF WE WERE TO PUT A VALUE TO THE COMP TIME ACCRUED IN 2024 AND ACTUAL OVERTIME PAID, THAT VALUE WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY 821,000. SO IF WE DIDN'T HAVE COMP BUCKETS IN 2024, THE COUNTY WOULD HAVE PAID 821,000 IN OVERTIME. OKAY. THANK YOU. YEAH. THANK YOU.

OKAY. IN 2025, IF WE DID NOT HAVE COMP BUCKETS, WE WOULD HAVE PAID 869,000. AND AS OF APRIL OF FY 26, THE VALUE OF OVERTIME WORKED WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT 618,000. HOW MUCH OF THAT INCREASE WOULD YOU ESTIMATE IS JUST NEW EMPLOYEES COMING ON BOARD? PROBABLY CAN'T ACCOUNT FOR ALL OF IT, BUT IT IT'S HARD TO SAY. I WOULD I WOULD GUESS THAT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE PROBABLY IS REQUIRED TO WORK MORE OVERTIME JUST BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THEIR JOB, AND THEY HAVEN'T HAD A WHOLE LOT OF TURNOVER IN THE JAIL RECENTLY. IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY. I WOULD SAY PROBABLY MORE IN 2024. THAT WOULD BE DUE TO NEWER EMPLOYEES QUICKLY ACCRUING THOSE HOURS. BUT LIKE I SAID RECENTLY, THEY HAVEN'T HAD A WHOLE LOT OF NEW EMPLOYEES.

RIGHT. WELL, I MEAN, WE'RE AT, WHAT, 470 EMPLOYEES? THAT'S TRUE. WE'VE ADDED TO THE HEADCOUNT. YEAH. RIGHT NOW. AND, YOU KNOW, GO BACK A COUPLE OF YEARS TO 2024. AND WE WERE AT JUST OVER 400 EMPLOYEES. SO THE DIFFERENCE THERE COULD ACCOUNT FOR IT COULD NOT NOT ALL OF IT, BUT COULD ACCOUNT FOR SOME OF IT. I WISH I COULD ANSWER THAT QUESTION. I'M SORRY, I DON'T I WOULDN'T KNOW. GO AHEAD. I GOT A QUESTION FOR YOU. OKAY. SO YOU SAID FY 2026 WAS THROUGH APRIL. YOUR NUMBERS HERE? YES. SO THROUGH APRIL WE'VE PAID $493,025 IN OVERTIME. CORRECT.

IS THERE A REASON THAT THAT'S ANYTHING OTHER THAN JUST A LINEAR FUNCTION? BECAUSE IF I CALCULATE THAT OUT. RIGHT. AND WHO KNOWS, I MAY BE WRONG. WE'RE TRENDING HIGHER. YEAH.

BIG BIG TIME HIGHER. I CALCULATE WE'D BE $845,000 IN OVERTIME THIS YEAR COMPARED TO 668 LAST YEAR AND 691 THE YEAR BEFORE, WHICH IS A REALLY BIG NUMBER. AND I CAN GO BACK TO TO THE DATA THAT I PULLED, I DON'T RECALL OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD WHAT CAUSED THAT, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY, SINCE I HAVE ACTUAL INFORMATION ON THAT FROM OUR OUR SYSTEM, I CAN PULL THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU AND GIVE YOU A GOOD INDICATION OF WHO, WHO NEEDS TO WORK, WHO'S MAKING UP THAT OR CAUSING THE INCREASE. YEAH, WELL, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. BUT IT'S ALSO, I MEAN, TO DRAW A VERY UNSCIENTIFIC CONCLUSION THAT WOULD TELL ME THAT AT LEAST OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, THIS COMP TIME PLAN WE HAVE IS NOT HELPING SOLVE OUR OVERTIME ISSUE. YOU HEAR ABOUT THERE'S AN OVERTIME ISSUE. I DON'T WANT TO DISCUSS WHETHER THERE IS OR NOT,

[01:20:01]

AND IT'S SORT OF A WAY AROUND THE BUDGET BECAUSE WE DON'T BUDGET FOR THIS IMPACT OF COMP DOLLARS. CORRECT. THAT'S THAT'S WHY I WOULD SAY QUASI IN OVERTIME, IF WE'RE BUDGETING OVERTIME AND WE SHOULD JUST PAY IT, WELL, WE SHOULD, BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS IS, ALL RIGHT, YOU'RE TAKING COMP TIME. WELL, NOW WE'RE ONLY RUNNING WITH FOUR MEMBERS OF COURT. SO NOW WE HAVE A REDUCTION IN IN SERVICE. I GET IT. SO QUASI IN OVERTIME BUDGET. BUT BUT THEY COULD SPEND THEIR OVERTIME BUDGET DOING OVERTIME AND FILL UP A COMP BUCKET. YES, SIR.

THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHEN WE'RE GOING TO PAY. WE DON'T WE CAN'T EVEN FORECAST WHEN IT'S GOING TO BE USED OR AT WHAT RATE. UNBUDGETED LIABILITY. OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE KNEW THAT. SHERIFF HAS A QUESTION AND THE AUDITOR HAS A QUESTION. YEAH, IT IS PICKED UP ON OUR FINANCIALS THOUGH THAT THAT IS A LIABILITY SHOWN ON YOUR ANNUAL AUDIT. THAT'S A COMPENSATED ABSENCES. YEAH. ALL OF THIS MAKES ANY MORE SENSE OF THIS. BUT ON FSLA HAVING THOSE THRESHOLDS. SO YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO BE HERE AT WORK FOR SAY, THE 80 HOURS. AND THEN IF I WORK THE 81ST HOUR, THEN THAT'S WHEN YOU GET, YOU GO INTO TIME AND A HALF. IF I'VE TAKEN THAT ONE HOUR AS VACATION OR COMP TIME AT THE BEGINNING OF THAT, UNTIL I MEET THAT 80 HOURS, I DON'T GO INTO COMP TIME OR VACATION. NOW ON THE OVERTIME BUDGET OR OVERTIME BUCKET OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT. IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT REDUCING OVERTIME BUDGET VERSUS PUTTING IT INTO COMP, YOU STILL THAT IS STILL A LIABILITY. THE COMP BUCKET IS STILL THE LIABILITY BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE A A CAP ON IT, THE PROBLEM WE RUN INTO THE JAIL

[01:25:06]

CORRECT. BECAUSE THEY'RE ESSENTIALLY PICKING UP. YES. SO, SO ON OUR ON OUR PATROL SHIPS, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY WORK THE 12 HOUR SHIFTS. SO DURING THEIR, THEIR TWO WEEK CYCLE ON THAT, THEY'RE GOING TO GO BEYOND IF THEY WORK THOSE 12 HOUR SHIFTS CONSISTENTLY THROUGH THAT, THERE IS WHAT'S CALLED MANDATORY OVERTIME, OR THEY'RE WORKING MORE THAN THE 80 HOURS.

SO IT'S THE SUPERVISOR'S RESPONSIBILITY TO SAY, DANNY, THIS IS YOUR EARLY DAY OR YOUR LATE DAY. YOU COME IN LATER, BUT IF THEY DON'T HAVE THE PERSONNEL TO FILL TO BACKFILL THAT, IF THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO MEET THE MINIMUM STAFFING, THEN THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE IF SOMEONE'S IN TRAINING. SO IF WE HAVE A MINIMUM STAFFING OF FOUR, FOR EXAMPLE, ONE IS OFF AT TRAINING. OKAY, NOW I'M DOWN TO THREE. I'M BELOW THE MINIMUM STAFFING. SO IF I CAN RUN WITH THAT, WELL, I CAN'T LET I CAN'T LET YOU OFF TWO HOURS EARLY TODAY TO BURN YOUR TIME THAT YOU'VE ALREADY WORKED FOR THIS, THIS PERIOD TO KEEP YOU UNDER THAT 80 HOURS.

SO PART OF THAT IS A MANAGEMENT TOOL THAT OUR SUPERVISORS USE TO KEEP IT MORE FLUSH THAN WHAT IT, WHAT IT REALLY LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU SEE THE BUDGET, WHEN YOU SEE THE LINE ITEMS, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S CONTINUAL OVERTIME OR CONTINUAL COMP TIME. BUT THEY ARE MANAGING THAT TO, TO A VERY LARGE EXTENT. BUT IT SOUNDS AS THOUGH THE COMP COULD HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO COST US DOUBLE. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I THINK IS THAT BECAUSE THAT COMP TIME IS OUT, THERE IS A IS A LIABILITY THAT DOESN'T REALLY DIRECTLY IMPACT THE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET FOR THE YEAR. THEN WHEN THAT COMP TIME IS UTILIZED, THEN WE'RE PAYING SOMEBODY ELSE TIME AND A HALF MORE THAN LIKELY. AND LET THAT COMP TIME BE USED. IT'S LIKE EITHER YOU PAY IT AT THE TIME, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY COMP, BUT YOU PAY IT AT THE TIME. YEAH. OR AND SO YOU WOULD HAVE TO UP YOUR OVERTIME BUDGET. SURE. I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT BUT THAT COMP BUCKET, WHATEVER IT IS, WHETHER IT'S THE 240 OR WHETHER IT'S JUST THE 40, THAT IS STILL THAT LIABILITY. NOW, IF I TAKE THAT BEFORE A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME, THEN I BURNED THAT. YOU HAVEN'T PAID IT OUT BECAUSE I HAVEN'T ACTUALLY WORKED. THAT MAKES SENSE. IT MAKES SENSE. WHAT WHAT YOU KNOW, WHAT MY CONCERN IS, IS THAT I WOULD JUST ASSUME THAT, LISTEN, OVERTIME, STACKING IT UP FOR LATER IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE MORE EXPENSIVE DOWN THE ROAD. AND IF WE HAD JUST PAID IT WHEN IT HAPPENED, THEN WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO EVEN CONCERN OURSELVES WITH THESE ISSUES. AND FOR BUDGETING, IT IS WAY EASIER TO BUDGET WITH NUMBERS THAT ARE IN THE REAL WORLD, RATHER THAN THIS THING FLOATING OUT AROUND THE SKY BECAUSE YOU'RE HAVING A BUDGETED FOR FUTURE DOLLARS.

YES. NOT FOR TODAY. CORRECT. SO, COMMISSIONER GALLARDO, WOULD YOU PROPOSE WE JUST PAY OUT ALL THE COMP BUCKETS AT ONE TIME, OR WOULD YOU PROPOSE WE STOP ACCRUING THEM AND THEN JUST PAY OVERTIME? I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'D WANT TO PAY THEM ALL OUT AT ONE TIME, BECAUSE THAT'S A PRETTY HEFTY NUMBER. I THINK WE'VE WE'VE GATHERED. BUT BUT I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF OF PHASING IT OUT, GETTING RID OF IT GOING FORWARD AND FIGURING OUT HOW TO. AND WE CAN, WE CAN SCALE THESE DOWN AS WE USE THEM. I THINK WE'VE, I KNOW IN MY PRIOR EMPLOYMENT, WE USED COMP TIME.

WE DID DIFFERENT THAN YOU GUYS DO IT, I'LL TELL YOU THAT. AND WE MADE THEM. IT WAS A MANAGEMENT TOOL AND EMPLOYEES REALLY LIKED IT BECAUSE THEY COULD TAKE A DAY OFF OR NOT.

THE PROBLEM THAT WE GET INTO HERE THAT I'M SEEING IS THE ACCRUAL. THAT'S THE ISSUE. BUT AS FAR AS TOTALLY ELIMINATING COMP TIME, I WOULDN'T BE IN FAVOR OF THAT RIGHT NOW. BUT YOUR POINT IS CORRECT. WHEN IT'S THE ACCRUAL BUNCH, THAT'S WHERE YOU GET A PROBLEM. BUT IT PEOPLE LIKE TO SAY, WELL, I'LL WORK EXTRA A DAY AND I'LL TAKE TOMORROW OFF STUFF LIKE THAT.

VERY REASONABLE. YEAH. WELL, THAT THAT CAN BE DONE INSIDE DEPARTMENTS WITHOUT INVOLVING A POLICY OR A COMP BUCKET THAT HAS TO BE UTILIZED IN PAYROLL. AND REMEMBER THAT SOME OF THE

[01:30:06]

SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS TO TWEAK THIS AND IMPROVEMENT, IMPROVE IT. I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATHWATER, BUT THERE'S DEFINITELY SOME WAYS WE CAN TWEAK THIS BECAUSE IT'S NOT WORKING AS IT'S INTENDED. IN MY OPINION. THE

[01:35:03]

YOU KNOW, YOU'D HAVE SOME SOME GRUMPS ON THAT, BUT THAT'S DEFINITELY A WAY TO MANAGE THAT BECAUSE AGAIN, THE COMP TIME IS GETTING FULL AND WE'RE PAYING PEOPLE TIME AND A HALF AS IF THERE'S NO COMP BUCKET. IT'S GOING STRAIGHT TO TIME AND A HALF. IT'S STRAIGHT OVER TIME.

SO WHY EVEN HAVE THIS FOR SOME DEPARTMENTS AND SOME EMPLOYEES? JUDGE, I REALLY LIKE WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT THAT, THAT THEORETICAL IDEA THAT YOU HAD BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONER STACY'S QUESTION WAS, DO I WANT TO PAY THIS ALL OUT NOW? AND I DON'T THINK WE WANT TO DO THAT.

BUT I DO THINK IF YOU PUT A POLICY IN THAT SAYS YOU'VE GOT TO USE YOUR COMP TIME FIRST, THAT IS A WAY FOR US TO SLOWLY DRAIN THIS DOWN OVER TIME. IF WE SAY FROM THIS POINT FORWARD, YOU DON'T EARN ANY. WE'RE NOT DOING COMP TIME. YOU STILL GET YOUR BUCKET. YOU'VE GOT TO USE IT BEFORE YOU TAKE IT BEFORE YOUR OVERTIME. CAN YOU JUST GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE? RIGHT. OH, IS THIS ALL ANSWERED ON THE NEXT SLIDE. I'M SORRY. YEAH. RIGHT HERE. YEAH. SO THAT'S A PROPOSED POLICY REVISION. WELL IT SAYS BEFORE VACATION TIME. YEAH. SO IT STARTS TO ELIMINATE THE POTENTIAL OF ACCRUING MORE AND MORE COMPENSATION TIME. BUT THAT DOESN'T GET. BUT I THINK BOBBY YOU WERE SUGGESTING MORE THAN THAT. YEAH. I WAS TALKING ABOUT OVERTIME. YEAH. YOU KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO DRAIN THERE. WE'RE STILL GOING TO PAY THEM. THEY'VE EARNED THAT. BUT ESSENTIALLY I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S IF WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO THAT ONLY BECAUSE THEN WE'RE WE'RE DRAINING THEIR COMP TIME, BUT NOT MAYBE PAYING THEM FOR THE OVERTIME THEY WORKED. I DON'T KNOW, I JUST IT'S REALLY HARD TO FIGURE THAT PIECE OUT, HOW TO DRAIN, HOW TO DRAIN THE REMAINING COMP TIME DOWN OVER TIME. SO WE DON'T TAKE A BIG HIT, BUT END THIS POLICY. THERE'S A ON THE LISTSERV, SOME COUNTIES ARE CONSIDERING WHAT TO DO WITH THE SAME SITUATION. ONE OF THE COUNTIES SAID THAT WHAT THEIR COURT DECIDED WAS TO LEAVE THE COMP BUCKETS FULL, BUT REQUIRE THE USAGE OF THEM AND THE PEOPLE. THE EMPLOYEES CAN USE IT. BUT MOVING FORWARD FROM THIS DATE ON, THEY'RE JUST GOING TO PAY CASH OVER TIME, BUT THEY CAN KEEP THE HOURS AND USE THEM. BUT WHEN THEY'RE GONE, THEY'RE GONE. THEY'RE GONE.

WE'RE NOT GOING TO REFILL ANY BUCKETS. WE'RE STOPPING THAT POLICY. CAN WE SAY THAT WE'RE ONLY GOING TO PAY COMP BUCKET TIME OUT AT THE RATE EARNED? NO NO NO NO I'M TELLING NO YOU CAN'T DO THAT. OKAY. ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT THAT THE COMP BUCKET DOESN'T GO INTO TIME AND A HALF UNTIL AFTER YOU GET BEYOND THAT PAY PERIOD. OH, WE'RE NOT CONFUSED ON HOW IT WORKS. WELL, I MEAN, BUT IF YOU I'M KIDDING. YOU USE IT DURING THAT, THAT PAY PERIOD. IT'S IT'S JUST LIKE STRAIGHT TIME. IF I, IF IF SOMEONE TAKES OFF THE TIME THAT THEY WORKED OVER YESTERDAY, IF YOU WORK FOUR HOURS OVER YESTERDAY AND YOU TAKE IT OFF TODAY, THAT'S NOT TAKING IT TIME AND A HALF. CORRECT. IT'S ALL SETTLED UP IN A PAY PERIOD. DO YOU SEE THE LAST OPTION? THAT'S THE OPTION. I WOULD LIKE THE COURT TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER. AND IT ALSO BECOMES A SCHEDULING ISSUE. YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR OUR 24 HOUR SHIFTS. SO. WELL, AND THAT IS A BIG ISSUE, THE SCHEDULING ISSUE. AND THAT GETS BACK TO DEPARTMENT HEADS USING THE TOOL. SO PRESERVE EXISTING ACCRUED BALANCES, BUT PAY FUTURE ACCRUED OVERTIME IN CASH

[01:40:03]

THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO DO. OKAY. JUDGE, CAN I ADD ONE THING THAT BULLET NUMBER TWO REVISED POLICIES REQUIRE USE OF COMP TIME FIRST PRIOR TO VACATION. THAT'S. I GENERALLY THINK THAT'S GREAT. HOWEVER, ON THE VACATION, WHEN SOMEONE ACCRUES AND THEY GET TO THEIR MAX, THEY COULD POTENTIALLY GET INTO USE OR LOSE IT POSITION WHERE NOW WE'RE SAYING, HEY, YOU'RE GETTING READY TO LOSE THIS VACATION THAT YOU'VE ACCRUED BECAUSE YOU'RE A LONG TIME EMPLOYEE. SO SAD. TOO BAD WE'RE GOING TO MAKE YOU USE COMP FIRST. SO WE JUST GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WOULD NEED THAT KIND OF THING. I WOULDN'T BE CAREFUL WITH THAT. ANYBODY UP HERE WOULD. WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM ANYONE. IT'S JUST THE ACCRUAL BUCKETS IS WHAT I'M TRYING TO LOOK AT US GETTING AWAY FROM. ALL RIGHT. BECAUSE I MEAN, TO LAUREN'S POINT, AND I KNOW YOU DID NOT ADVOCATE FOR GETTING RID OF COMP TIME. SO I'M NOT TRYING TO PUT WORDS IN YOUR MOUTH. BUT TO HIS POINT, THE COMP TIME ISN'T MOVING US IN ANY DIRECTION OF PAYING OVERTIME. IT'S JUST CREATING A LOT MORE WORK AND A LOT MORE LIABILITY WITHOUT US GETTING THE INTENDED CONSEQUENCES. AND WE STARTED THIS. YOU'VE GOT YOU STARTED OUR NUMBERS IN FY 24. SO IS THAT WHEN THE THE COMP BUCKET STARTED? NO, WE JUST WENT BACK A FEW YEARS. I JUST ASKED HER TO GET A LITTLE BIT OF A HISTORICAL REFERENCE FOR THIS PARTICULAR MEETING. OKAY. AND THAT'S GOOD. I'M GLAD. BUT IT'S AN ARBITRARY POINT THAT THAT COMMISSIONER LICHTY MADE. IT'S DEFINITELY SHOW. IT'S IT'S TRENDING THAT WAY. AND, AND LIKE I SAID, I JUST THINK THAT ALL THESE ACCRUALS, LIKE I SAID, CREATE WORK WITHOUT REALLY SAVING US ANY TANGIBLE AMOUNT OF MONEY. BECAUSE IF, IF, IF IT IS A, IT COULD BE A VERY EASY MANAGEMENT SITUATION. IF IT'S A ONE TIME TYPE THING, I NEED YOU TO STAY LATE HERE, BUT YOU CAN COME IN LATER TOMORROW. IT JUST IT EQUALS ITSELF OUT. IT'S JUST ALL ALL THE ACCRUALS. AND HOW DO YOU GET HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE ACCRUALS, THE POTENTIAL LIABILITIES. THE IDEA THAT IF WE DO TO THAT POINT, IF WE DO REQUIRE COMP TIME FIRST, THEY COULD LOSE POTENTIAL VACATION.

I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT TO KIND OF CONSIDER AS WE AS WE WALK THROUGH THIS, BUT WE, WE, WE HAVE A LOT OF BUCKETS THAT ARE FILLING UP. WE HAVE COMP BUCKETS, WE HAVE VACATION BUCKETS. WE HAVE SICK BUCKETS. NOT THAT THAT'S A BAD THING. NOT THAT THAT'S A GOOD THING.

THAT'S JUST A THING. SO IF WE COULD TRY TO REDUCE BUCKETS AND PAY PEOPLE FOR WHAT THEY DO, I THINK WE'RE PUTTING OURSELVES IN A MUCH BETTER POSITION FINANCIALLY AS A COUNTY. ALL RIGHT. SO AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE, THIS WILL COME BEFORE THE COURT UNLESS YOU ALL HAVE MORE QUESTIONS. YES, POLICY DISCUSSIONS AND THE POLICY COMMITTEE WILL HAVE TO MEET AGAIN. SO TO KIND OF TAKE WHAT WE'RE GETTING FROM THIS, BECAUSE THAT OPTION WASN'T REALLY TRULY CONSIDERED FROM THE BENEFITS COMMITTEE. THIS IS JUST US TRYING TO TRYING TO WORK THROUGH WHAT THE COURT IS THINKING. WELL, I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT THAT HAS GONE INTO THIS. I MEAN, THIS IS SOMETHING I THINK NOW'S THE TIME TO CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION. WAS THERE ANYTHING ELSE, TAMMY? NO, NOT UNLESS COMMISSIONER STACEY WANTS ME TO REVIEW AGAIN THE SLIDE THAT TALKS ABOUT FLESHING OUT THE VACATION WITH EXTRA HOURS WORK. WE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THAT. BUT YEAH, WE DID TALK ABOUT THAT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT AND COMMISSIONER STACEY. YEP. THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE THAT'LL TAKE

[5. Discussion of Compensation Committee report, and all related issues; (Commissioner Gallana - Commissioner Stacy)]

[01:45:03]

HOW IS OUR PLAN STACK UP AGAINST THE STATE? SO SO THAT'S WHAT WE TRIED TO, TO, TO FIGURE OUT BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THAT. NOT TO GO TO A SIZE BY SIZE COUNTY. WHAT IS A TOM GREEN COUNTY? THE INFAMOUS REMARK ON ON WHERE I'M, WHERE I'M FROM, MY PART OF THE WOODS. BUT YOU KNOW, WHAT IS WHAT IS TOM GREEN COUNTY, WHICH I BELIEVE IS WHERE OUR CURRENT OUR FUTURE CONGRESSMAN WAS BORN. ANYWAYS, HOW DO THEY STACK UP POUND BY POUND? BUT HOW DO THESE AREAS STACK UP? SO THAT WAS OUR THAT WAS OUR INTENT IN STUDYING THIS. SO OUR HR DEPARTMENT, WHAT TOOK THREE MONTHS, FOUR MONTHS OF GOING TO A PLETHORA OF COUNTIES THAT ARE KIND OF JUST THEY'RE ATTACHED TO A MAJOR METRO AREA. LET'S SEE, LET'S SEE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. SO IT GAVE US, I THINK, A PRETTY GOOD INDICATION OF HOW THE PLAN STACKS UP. SO WHAT I'M GOING TO DO IS KIND OF WALK THROUGH WHAT THE DATA SPIT OUT, AND THEN WE'LL GO THROUGH QUESTIONS. IT, IT BASICALLY POINTED OUT THAT WE ONLY HAD TWO POSITIONS DATA DRIVEN, STATISTICALLY DRIVEN, THAT WERE THAT WERE POTENTIALLY OUT OF WHACK, AND THAT WOULD BE THE DAS OFFICE MANAGER AND JAIL SERGEANTS. NOW, THE DAS OFFICE MANAGER IS BEING SUPPLEMENTED.

SO WHEN YOU INCLUDE THE SUPPLEMENT, IT'S NOT OUT OF WHACK. IT'S JUST THAT THAT'S FINE. BUT IT DID POINT OUT THAT THE JAIL SERGEANTS ARE UNDERPAID. OUR RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE TO MOVE THE JAIL SERGEANT FROM AN EIGHT TO AN 11. IN. DOING SO WOULD BE AN AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 86,000 $87,000, BUT IT WOULD GET THEM IN LINE WITH OTHER MAJOR METRO AREAS. AGAIN, THAT'S JUST A KIND OF A RECOMMENDATION. WHAT WE SAW FROM ALL OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT WE STUDIED KIND OF POUND FOR POUND, WE'RE GOOD. WE'RE GOOD WITH WHAT ALL THESE OTHER METRO AREAS ARE DOING, ALL THE ADJUSTMENTS AND ALL THE FIGHTING THAT WE DID LAST YEAR GOT US TO A POINT WHERE WE CAN BE VERY CONFIDENT IN WHAT THIS COMPENSATION PLAN IS. IT DOES NOT. LIKE I SAID, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE COULDN'T SAY, OH, WELL, KAUFMAN COUNTY DID THIS WITH THIS ONE PERSON, AND THERE'S A MARKET THAT WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT.

WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GO, DOES IT ACTUALLY STACK UP TO WHAT ALL THE OTHER MAJOR. AND WE'RE INCLUDING THE MAJOR COUNTIES AS WELL. JUST SO YOU KNOW, WE'RE INCLUDING DALLAS COUNTY, TRAVIS COUNTY, HARRIS COUNTY. SO WE'RE JUST SAYING, WHAT IS THIS? WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE? WE ALSO STUDIED TURNOVER STAFFING AND HOW THEY WORK WITH THE BUDGET. SO WITH THAT, WE DID FIND THAT FROM A, FROM A TURNOVER STANDPOINT, THE, THE ONLY OFFICE THAT WE HAVE THAT'S TURNING OVER WHAT WOULD BE STATISTICALLY OVER ANYTHING ELSE WOULD BE THE COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE. BECAUSE WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT IN ALL THE OTHER COUNTIES WE STUDIED TURNOVER.

THE DISTRICT CLERK AND COUNTY CLERK WERE STATISTICALLY THE SAME. AND THEN ALL THESE OTHER OFFICES WE HAVE THAT HAVE TURNOVER ARE ACTUALLY CONSISTENT WITH OTHER METRO AREAS. SO SO WE'RE FINDING WE'RE JUST TRYING TO STUDY WHAT ARE THESE OTHER MARKETS LOOK LIKE THE BEST WE CAN, RIGHT. AND JUST WHAT CAN WE DIVE INTO THAT? WE ALSO KIND OF STUDIED AND LOOKED THAT OUR DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS, IS ALMOST 10% OF OUR BUDGET. MOST COUNTIES, THAT'S AROUND SIX. SO WE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW, HOW DO THESE STAFFING AND HOW DO THESE OTHER DEPARTMENTS LOOK AT CURRENT PACE? WE WOULD HAVE TO ADD NEARLY 30 EMPLOYEES AT BUILD OUT TO THE DA'S OFFICE AT CURRENT STAFFING. PACINGS. AND THEN WE ALSO LOOKED AT WHAT? WAIT A MINUTE. SAY THAT AGAIN BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU SAID, HOLD ON, THERE'S TEN EMPLOYEES PER COURT. THAT THAT IS WHAT THAT IS WHAT? IT'S COMING. THAT IS WHAT IT'S COMING OUT FOR.

EVERY COURT WE HAVE, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HAS TEN EMPLOYEES. IF THAT CONTINUES AND WE KEEP ADDING COURTS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO ADD 30 EMPLOYEES TO THE DA'S OFFICE TO KEEP UP WITH THE GROWTH OF OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM. AND WE DON'T HAVE STAFFING OR HOUSING FOR THAT MANY EMPLOYEES. AND THE OTHER COUNTIES THAT YOU DID DO THE THE ANALYSIS OF IT WAS SIX. IT WOULD BE SIX EMPLOYEES. CORRECT. BECAUSE YOU SAID IT'S 10 TO 6, RIGHT. OKAY.

30 EMPLOYEES BY WHEN? NO, JUST WHENEVER WE START ADDING THE COURTS, I'M JUST SAYING LIKE WHEN WE START PROJECTING OUT. SO NOT TODAY. NO, NO, NOT ANYWHERE NEAR CLOSE. BUT WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT STATISTICAL TRENDS. AND THEN WHAT WE ALSO LOOKED AT IS WHAT, HOW COULD WE LOOK AT DOING, AT KEEPING OUR CHART PACING UP TO THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX. THE GOVERNMENT PUT

[01:50:06]

[01:55:02]

ACTUALLY, OURS IS REALLY GOOD COMPARED TO WHAT A LOT OF THESE OTHER COUNTIES ARE. AND THE ONLY STATISTICAL ANOMALY WE FOUND WAS IN THE COUNTY CLERK IS THAT THE TURNOVER IS PRETTY HIGH. AND IT JUST DOESN'T SEEM THAT IT'S THAT IT'S OUT OF THAT. IT'S EVER LIKE THAT IN ANY OTHER COUNTY. THE DA'S OFFICE HAS HIGH TURNOVER, AND THAT'S BECAUSE THESE GUYS GET OUT OF LAW SCHOOL. GUYS AND GALS GET OUT OF LAW SCHOOL, HIRE ON WITH THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY, GET COURTROOM EXPERIENCE AND LEAVE. THAT JUST HAPPENS A LOT. SO THAT'S STANDARD PROCEDURE.

CORRECT. AND SO SO WE'RE NOT SEEING THAT, OH, RDAS OFFICE HAS THIS HUGE TURNOVER PROBLEM COMPARED TO PURE COUNTIES. WE DON'T SEE THAT EITHER. SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT. WE BOBBY AND I SAT DOWN WITH THE COUNTY CLERK AND SAID, HOW CAN WE REALLY LOOK AT GETTING OUR HANDLE ON THESE SITUATIONS? AND I THINK WE HAVE ANOTHER MEETING NEXT WEEK. WE DO. SHE SHE HAS SOME PROPOSALS THAT SHE'S TRYING TO PUT TOGETHER TO, TO REALLY HELP TRY TO STABILIZE THAT WORKFORCE. AND BOBBY AND I ARE TRYING TO ADVOCATE FOR THAT BECAUSE WE DO WANT THAT NUMBER TO COME DOWN. SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET OUR HANDS ON IT. BUT THAT THAT IS JUST WHAT THE NUMBERS DICTATED WHEN WHEN IT CAME OUT. AND SO THE TURNOVER IS NOT THERE LEAVING THE COUNTY. IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY LIKE WORKING AT ROCKWALL COUNTY AND MAYBE THEY GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE INTO ANOTHER. WE ARE LOOKING AT DEPARTMENT TURNOVER.

RIGHT. BUT BUT BUT ARE THEY SOME OF THEM ARE STAYING IN THE COUNTY. THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S WHAT I WAS. YEAH. YES. SO BUT BUT YOU'RE SAYING THE NUMBERS YOU'VE GIVEN US IS STRICTLY THEY'RE LEAVING ROCKWALL COUNTY. NO, THEY'RE LEAVING THE DEPARTMENT. JUST THE DEPARTMENT.

BUT NOT NOT A GREAT NUMBER THAT I KNOW. IT'S NOT A GREAT NUMBER THAT LEFT AND STAYED WITH THE COUNTY. THE THE MAJORITY LEFT AND LEFT, THE COUNTY RIGHT. AND I CAN UNDERSTAND. YES. OKAY.

THAT'S WHAT I NEEDED TO KNOW. AND I CAN UNDERSTAND THE SHERIFFS AND THE JAILS BECAUSE MAYBE THEY, THEY DECIDE IT'S EITHER ESPECIALLY IN THE DETENTION AREA, THAT MAY NOT BE WHAT THEY WANT TO DO, BUT ALSO IT MAY BE THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE ABLE TO GO AND CHASE, CHASE ANOTHER SALARY AND CLOSE BY, THAT'S 10,000 MORE OR WHATEVER. AND AGAIN, WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO, AND TO ME, IT KIND OF CAME INTO. I REALLY KIND OF BOUGHT INTO THE FACT THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO START GOING THE COLA ROUTE RATHER THAN THE MERIT ROUTE. AND I KNOW THAT THAT FRANK DISAGREES AND WE'LL GET TO THAT IN A SECOND. AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANTED TO START LOOKING AT IS, IS IF THAT'S TRUE, MEANING THE FACT THAT I'M ADMITTING THAT I WAS WRONG, I WAS PUSHING FOR SOMETHING THAT I'M NOW NOT PUSHING FOR ANYMORE, THEN WHAT ELSE DO I NOT KNOW? AND SO I JUST WANTED TO DIVE INTO AS MUCH DATA AS POSSIBLE AND FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE OTHER COUNTIES EXPERIENCING, WHAT ARE OTHER METRO AREAS LOOK LIKE? AND SO BOBBY AND I GAVE A VERY EXTENSIVE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT. I MEAN, IT TOOK 90 TO 100 DAYS FOR THE HR DEPARTMENT TO PUT IT TOGETHER OF WALKING THROUGH ALL THESE COUNTIES. WHAT IS YOUR TURNOVER? WHAT ARE YOUR JOB DESCRIPTIONS? WHAT ARE YOU PAYING YOUR PEOPLE SO THAT WE COULD HAVE SOME IDEA OF, OF WHAT THAT EVEN LOOKS LIKE. THERE'S ONLY 254 COUNTIES, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S NOT EVEN TRUE BECAUSE SOME COUNTIES ARE GRANT FUNDED COUNTIES. SOME COUNTIES HAVE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. I MEAN, SO SO FINDING A ROCKWALL COUNTY, IT'S ARBITRARY. WE COULD JUST GO, WELL, THIS IS THIS SIZE OR THIS IS THAT SIZE. SO I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS THIS MARKET LOOK LIKE. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO PUT OUR HANDS ON IS, IS, IS WHAT HAPPENS IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT AND OTHER METRO AREAS. THAT'S THE ONLY THING WE CAN THINK TO EVEN TRY TO COMPARE IT TO, BECAUSE TURNOVER IS COSTLY, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO TRAIN PEOPLE, WE GET DISRUPTIONS IN SERVICE, WE GET A LOT OF THINGS. SO WHAT CAN WE DO TO HOLD ON TO GOOD EMPLOYEES TO TO GET THOSE RETENTIONS? AND THEN SO THAT'S OUR GOAL. I MEAN, OUR GOAL IS TO RETAIN GOOD EMPLOYEES, OBVIOUSLY, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR THOSE TOOLS, THOSE MECHANISMS. AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE BOBBY REALLY CAN HELP US. HE COMES FROM A MUCH MORE CORPORATE BACKGROUND THAN I DO. I'M JUST TRYING TO GET INTO THE NUMBERS AND FIGURE OUT WHAT WHAT DO THE NUMBERS DICTATE? YEAH. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, TO HER CREDIT, COUNTY CLERK FOG HAS REALLY SHE'S REALLY DIVING IN TO THIS STUFF AND HAS DONE A TON OF WORK IN PREPARATION FOR OUR MEETING. YES. NEXT WEEK, COMMISSIONER STACY, WHICH I COMMEND HER FOR. AND SHE IS SHE WANTS TO SOLVE THIS. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, IT'S VERY HARD FOR HER TO HAVE THIS KIND OF TURNOVER ALL THE TIME AND BE IN CONSTANT WHEN YOU'RE IN CONSTANT TRAINING MODE, IT'S A BIT CHAOTIC AND IT'S HARD TO. IT'S HARD TO RUN AND STABILIZE WHEN YOU'RE CONSTANTLY TRAINING AND LOOKING AND INTERVIEWING NEW PEOPLE. SO SHE'S PROPOSED

[02:00:01]

BUT THE ISSUE, YOU KNOW, LIKE IN A IN A CORPORATION THAT WORKS, RIGHT? YOU GOT PEOPLE THAT START ON THE GROUND FLOOR. BUT YOU SAW MY REACTION TO THAT, DIDN'T YOU? SO IT WAS KIND OF VISCERAL. ARE YOU SMILING? BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, I WAS LIKE, MAN, I ALMOST JUMPED OUT OF MY CHAIR. BUT AND NOT TO NOT TO DISCREDIT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, JUDGE, I'M JUST WE CAN'T TREAT ANY DEPARTMENTS IN THE COUNTY THAT WAY BECAUSE THEY'RE LIKE THEIR OWN BUSINESSES AND THEY NEED TO THEY HAVE JOBS TO DO AND THEY HAVE TO RUN THEIR OWN. AND I, YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS LIKE THIS WITH WITH COUNTY CLERK JENNIFER FOGG, WHO IS DON'T TREAT YOURSELF LIKE YOU'RE AN ENTRY LEVEL PLACE TO START BECAUSE THERE ARE ENTRY LEVEL JOBS AT ALMOST EVERYWHERE BUT THE TREASURER'S OFFICE REALLY. AND SO BECAUSE THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN'T HAVE ENTRY LEVEL PEOPLE START THERE. BUT IT'S NOT WE DON'T WANT TO CREATE AN ENTRY LEVEL PLACE BECAUSE ONCE WE DO THAT, THEN WE GIVE THE EXCUSE FOR LESS RETENTION AND WE CREATE CHAOS IN THEIR OWN DEPARTMENT. AND WE'VE GOT TO GIVE THEM THE AUTONOMY TO RUN A DEPARTMENT, AS A DEPARTMENT AND AS A BUSINESS, AND NOT AS A SEPARATE, YOU KNOW, HEY, WE'RE GOING TO SHOVE ALL THE NEW PEOPLE INTO YOUR DEAL, YOU KNOW, A CHARITABLE FUNCTION FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTY. YEAH. AND WE ALSO WANT TO BE ABLE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO JUST SAY, OH, WELL, YOU'VE GOT ALL THE NEW HIRES COMING INTO THE COUNTY CLERK OFFICE. SO WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, YOUR RETENTION DOESN'T MATTER WHEN WHEN RETENTION, IT COSTS US A LOT OF MONEY WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, BECAUSE IT'S NOT ONLY TRAINING, BUT IT'S, IT'S OVERTIME TO COMPENSATE. WHEN YOU LOSE THAT PERSON BEFORE YOU HIRE A NEW ONE, IT'S, IT'S THESE COMP BUCKET FILLING UP THAT WE PAY OUT LATER. IT LEADS TO A LOT OF OTHER COSTS THAT DON'T HAVE TO BE THERE IF WE CAN GET A HOLD OF IT. SO MY, MY QUESTION WAS GOING TO BE. AND I PROBABLY SHOULD KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS, BUT I DON'T. ARE OTHER COUNTIES STRUCTURED IN A SIMILAR SITUATION? WE WE ARE SEEING NO COUNTY THAT DOES THAT PERIOD THAT WE DON'T SEE ANY ANY COUNTY SET UP THAT WAY. COUNTIES. IT'S NOT THEIR FACILITIES DEPARTMENT THAT HAS THE HIGH TURNOVER. NO, WE'RE NOT SEEING. I MEAN, AND AND I MEAN, LIKE I SAID, THERE ARE COUNTIES LIKE I LIKE TO BE FAIR. I MEAN, THE COMAL COUNTY. I DON'T KNOW WHO THE DISTRICT CLERK IS. I MEAN, IT'S TWO AND A HALF TIMES THESE OTHER DEPARTMENTS. I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M NOT IN COMAL COUNTY, BUT BUT YOU DON'T SEE IT WHEN YOU GO THROUGH ALL THESE COUNTIES IN ALL THESE LISTS, YOU DON'T SEE THIS ONE DEPARTMENT THAT IS JUST CRANKING EVERYONE OVER TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS. SO SO WE TRULY DO HAVE AN APPLES TO APPLES THE BEST WE KNOW HOW.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WELL, BUT IS IT SAFE TO ALSO CONCLUDE THAT THE PROBLEM IS NOT COMPENSATION IN THAT DEPARTMENT? BECAUSE LAST YEAR WE WENT THROUGH A DISCUSSION OF THAT. AND I BRING THIS UP BECAUSE WE'RE GOING INTO THE BUDGET. AND LAST YEAR WE WENT THROUGH DISCUSSION AND THERE WAS DISCUSSION ABOUT, WELL, COMPENSATION. BUT WHAT I JUST HEARD YOU GUYS SAY IS WE'RE COMPENSATING EVERYBODY FAIRLY. SO IT'S PROBABLY NOT COMPENSATION ISSUE. I DON'T THINK IT'S ALL COMPENSATION. NO. I THINK WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME FIXING COMPENSATION. YEAH. THIS COURT DID A FANTASTIC JOB OF DOING THAT LAST TIME. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU. I, I DON'T THINK IT'S COMPENSATION. I THINK IT'S BUT I DO THINK IT'S SOMEWHAT OF A MENTALITY THAT THIS COURT HAS THE POWER TO SET OR UNSET. YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HAVE TO LET IT, YOU KNOW, LET IT STAND ON ITS OWN AS A DEPARTMENT. AND, AND IF IF WE BELIEVE IN THAT MENTALITY, THEN THAT WILL TRICKLE DOWN TO THAT DEPARTMENT. I THINK IT'S JUST THERE'S SOME STRUCTURAL THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DIFFERENT WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. AND, AND WE'RE WORKING ON THOSE. SO I, I DON'T THINK IT'S A COMPENSATION PROBLEM AT ALL. AND I THANK YOU. AND I ASK YOU THAT NOT BECAUSE I'M EXPECTING YOU TO HAVE THE ANSWERS OR I CERTAINLY DON'T. I KNOW THAT, BUT BECAUSE WE'RE GOING INTO THE BUDGET SEASON AND WE'RE FIXING TO GET INTO THIS, IT SEEMS LIKE FIRST OF ALL, YOU GUYS, I THOUGHT YOUR COMPENSATION COMMITTEE STUDY WAS GREAT. I IT WAS IT WAS VERY WELL DONE. SO THANK YOU BOTH VERY MUCH. AND CAMMIE AND YOUR TEAM FOR DOING THAT. BUT I JUST ASK THE QUESTION BECAUSE GOING INTO BUDGET SEASON, I WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE BAR IS. ANOTHER QUESTION I HAD ABOUT THIS WAS ON THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS. I WAS VERY SURPRISED IF I GOT

[02:05:05]

THIS TREND IS A LITTLE CONCERNING. AND THE PERCENTAGE OF STAFF TO TOTAL STAFF TO. SO IF YOU GO OVER TO THE LAST COLUMN, NOT JUST THE TOTAL BUDGET, BUT THE PERCENTAGE I'M ON, I DON'T HAVE A PAGE. IT'S NOT A PAGE. IT'S A, IT'S A IT'S AN APPENDIX. GO TO THE VERY LAST PAGE BEFORE OF THIS STUDY, I GUESS, OR MINE'S IN A NICE BINDER. THANKS TO MEREDITH DISTRICT ATTORNEY. IT WAS A ROCK STAR. AGREED. YES. SO IF YOU IF YOU GO, GO ACROSS, LOOK AT THE VERY LAST COLUMN EVEN. AND AND IT. AND IT'S ALMOST IN SOME CASES, IT'S A BIGGER DISPARITY ALMOST THAN THE FACT OF THE NUMBER PERCENTAGE OF STAFF TO TOTAL STAFF. YEAH. WOW.

IN FACT, NO ONE HAS AS HIGH A PERCENTAGE. WE NONE OF THE COUNTIES ARE AS HIGH AS OURS.

WE ARE THE HIGHEST. SO DID YOU LOOK AT THIS? AND AS YOU HAVE YOUR DISCUSSIONS, I WOULD I WOULD ASK YOU TO LOOK AT COST TO CASE CASE STAFFING BECAUSE I MEAN, IT COULD BE WE HAVE TWICE AS MANY CASES. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT'S TRUE OR NOT, BUT BUT THAT WOULD OBVIOUSLY AFFECT IT. BUT YEAH, I MEAN THESE NUMBERS ARE ARE VERY SIGNIFICANT. AGAIN, THE POINT IS TO DO A STUDY AND TALK ABOUT THE NUMBERS. I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT WE THAT'S WHAT OUR INTENTION WAS TO DO. AND THAT'S WHAT I MAKE DECISIONS WITHOUT THESE NUMBERS YOU GUYS DID. IT WAS A FABULOUS I THOUGHT A FABULOUS STUDY YOU GUYS DID. AND CAMI. BUT AGAIN, IF WE ARE NOT JUST ABOVE AVERAGE, WE ARE THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF MONEY GOES TO THE DA'S OFFICE OF ANY OF THESE COUNTIES. YOU YOU LOOKED AT ANY OF THEM, AND THAT'S WITHOUT THE SUPPLEMENTS.

THEY'RE NOT INCLUDED. AND WE HAVE THE HIGHEST STAFF TO TOTAL STAFF IN THERE OF ANY COUNTY.

AND IF I REMEMBER RIGHT, LAST YEAR WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THIS, WE TOLD THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY SHE ACTUALLY WANTED 2 OR 3 MORE PEOPLE WE DIDN'T GIVE HER. SO WE NEED TO DIG INTO THIS. AND I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS DOING IT. I DO AS WELL. YEAH, THIS IS THIS IS A LOT TO DIGEST. AND WE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ALL THESE MEAN BY THE WAY. I MEAN, THIS IS A REPORT. I MEAN WE ARE GOING TO BE MEETING WITH KENDA. WE SENT THE EMAIL. WE'RE TRYING TO GET THAT ARRANGED. WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT EVERYTHING MEANS. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WHEN YOU GRAB THIS MUCH NUMBERS AND STATISTICS, IT'S THE NUMBERS DO SPEAK AND WE'RE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHERE THE NUMBERS ARE SPEAKING. THANK YOU. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. NOW THE LAST THING JUDGE KNEW IS THAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING WE DO A COLA BASED UPON THE CPI INDEX. SO 2.42.4 GOVERNMENT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S RECOMMENDATION. WE COULD ARGUE DIFFERENT NUMBERS. AND IT'S KIND OF GO GOES BACK TO THE COURT. I MEAN YOU GOT TO REMEMBER WE STARTED DOING THIS REPORT IN FEBRUARY. SO IT'S BEEN A WHILE TO TAKE IT FROM THE INITIAL MEETINGS THAT BOBBY AND I HAD WITH HR TO PRESENTING IT TO YOU GUYS. AT THE TIME THE CPI INDEX WAS PRODUCED IN JANUARY OF THE THE 20 YOU KNOW, JUST THE COST OF SERVICE. IT'S 2.4. MY POINT IS I WANT TO TIE COLA TO SOMETHING. ONE OF THE

[02:10:02]

OBVIOUSLY ON THE LISTSERV, EVERYBODY'S ASKING, WHAT ARE Y'ALL WHAT'S WHAT ARE Y'ALL TALKING ABOUT DOING? I WILL START GETTING CALLS FROM JUDGES. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? ESPECIALLY SURROUNDING JUDGES. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? IT'S ALWAYS A MIXTURE BETWEEN COLAS AND MERIT OR STEPS. EVERYBODY DOES IT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY. IT'S JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOUR COUNTY. AND AGAIN, THAT COLA IS ACROSS THE BOARD. LAW ENFORCEMENT, DETENTION OFFICERS, EVERYBODY. AND IT IS 860 LOADED. AND AND IT GIVES THE POTENTIAL FOR FOR YOU TO WHEN WHEN WE CAN TIE IN A BIT OF MERIT IN A, IN A HYBRID, A HYBRID IS, IS I WILL NOT LEAVE MERIT OUT SOMEWAY. SOMEHOW THERE. I WILL GIVE DEPARTMENT HEADS THE ABILITY TO REWARD EMPLOYEES WHO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND. THAT JUST MAKES FOR A BETTER DEPARTMENT. SO SO THE GOAL OF OF THIS COMMITTEE IS TO DO OUR BEST TO GET A COMPENSATION SCHEDULE. BEFORE WE START FIGURING OUT, I NEED A PERSON, I DON'T NEED A PERSON. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WE HAVE ALL THESE MOVING TARGETS. IT WOULD BE THE GOAL TO BRING THIS COMPENSATION PACKAGE BACK, TO BE VOTED ON TO START OCTOBER 1ST. THAT IS THAT IS THE GOAL. WE COULD VOTE ON THAT THE VERY NEXT COURT. WE CAN PUT IT ON THE AGENDA AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE'RE GOING TO VOTE THAT

[02:15:05]

[7. COMMISSIONERS COURT REPORTS: Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.0415, the County Judge and the County Commissioners may report on the following items: (1) expression of thanks, congratulations or condolences; (2) information about holiday schedules; (3) recognition of individuals; (4) reminders about upcoming County events; (5) information community events; (6) announcements involving an imminent threat to public health and safety.]

AND THAT'S THAT'S MY GOAL WITH THIS. AND SO I HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE AND MAKE IT EVEN BETTER. YEAH. THANK YOU. THAT WAS A GREAT FUNCTION. WAS THANKFUL. THANKFUL THAT YOU DID IT. COMMISSIONER. COMMISSIONER, I'M GOING TO JUST LET COMMISSIONER LICHTY TALK ABOUT OUR BIG EVENT THAT WE'VE GOT COMING UP IN TWO DAYS. COMMISSIONER STACY, IT IS A LOT OF PRESSURE. I YIELD MY TIME TO THE GENTLEMAN FROM HEATH. WOW. COMMISSIONER LICHTY, I AM A GENTLEMAN FROM HEATH, BUT I. I WILL NOT YIELD MY TIME. I'LL GIVE YOU ONE MINUTE OF MY TIME.

HERE WE GO. WE ARE, AS EVERYONE KNOWS. I HOPE WE ARE HAVING ON SATURDAY OUR DEDICATION CEREMONY FOR OUR TEN COMMANDMENTS MONUMENT WHICH WE APPROVED ONE YEAR AND ONE WEEK AGO. IT'S GOING TO BE GREAT. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A GREAT CELEBRATION AND WE'RE. I THINK IT'LL BE REALLY CROWDED. MY WIFE HAS SENT OUT A. I'M SORRY. THE PLANNING COMMITTEE HAS ESTABLISHED A FACEBOOK PAGE, AND THERE'S ALREADY WELL OVER 100 PEOPLE WHO'VE SAID THEY'RE COMING AND IT'S GOING TO BE A GOOD DEAL. BUT THE BIG THING I WANTED TO DO IS I WANT I OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T BRING ENOUGH OF THESE, BUT I WANTED TO GIVE EACH OF YOU A CHALLENGE COIN RELATED TO THIS. AND THERE ARE MORE OUT THERE. GIVE THESE TO BOBBY. AND AND THERE ARE MORE.

SO THERE WILL BE MORE AVAILABLE AT THE EVENT. BUT THIS WAS DONE AS ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING AT THE, OUR DEDICATION CEREMONY. IT'S REALLY COOL. ONE OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS, OTHER THAN MY WIFE, BUT WHO IS A WIFE OF SOMEONE ON THIS PLATFORM, DEVELOP THESE. AND ALL I HAD TO

[02:20:01]

I BELIEVE IT'S GOING TO BE SHINE. I'M HAVING FAITH. YEAH, I PRAYING, OKAY, THAT'S WHAT I'M TELLING YOU. I'VE BEEN PRAYING SAYING NO, NO RAIN. PLEASE HAVE FAITH AND STAND OUT IN THE RAIN. BUT BUT JUST SO YOU KNOW, JUDGE AND EVERYONE, WE, WE DO HAVE PROVISIONS THAT IF IT IS GOING TO BE RAINING, WE WILL HAVE A TENT AND EVERYBODY WILL BE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PEOPLE THAT CAN GET UNDERNEATH IT WILL BE PROTECTED. THIS COIN SAYS MAY 23RD. WE'RE NOT PRINTING NEW COINS. I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU EVERYONE. THANK YOU. ALL THE COMMITTEES. THANK YOU. A LOT OF GOOD WORK HERE. A LOT OF GOOD DATA. I FEEL I FEEL MORE CONFIDENT WITH WITH THE BUDGET LOOMING THAN THAN I HAVE EVER REALLY. SO THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED. AND AT 1132, WE ARE ADJOURNED.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.