By Shari Harris, Publisher
Texas County Sheriff Scott Lindsey held a town hall meeting on Friday, March 11, to offer information to the public regarding the law enforcement sales tax proposal which Texas County voters will see on their ballots in April. Lindsey, Chief Deputy Rowdy Douglas, four other deputies and jailers, Presiding Commissioner and Mrs. Scott Long, Commissioner and Mrs. Doyle Heiney, and Commissioner John Casey were also available to answer questions.
The ballot question is “Shall the County of Texas impose a countywide sales tax of three/eight of one percent for the purpose of providing additional funding for law enforcement services for the county?” It would amount to $3.75 on a $1,000 purchase, or $ .38 on a $100 purchase. The projected revenue would be between $930,000 and $1 million and would allow the starting pay for deputies to increase to $18.27 per hour and for jailers to increase to $15.00 per hour.
Lindsey listed five goals that he feels could be accomplished if the sales tax was passed.
The first goal is to attract and retain staff. The average base pay for deputies and jailers is $12 per hour. A Deputy Sheriff Supplemental Salary (DSSS) grant from the state allows the base pay to be raised to $14.42 for deputies. But this grant is not guaranteed and could end without warning.
“We risk losing all law enforcement deputies if the grant goes away,” said Lindsey.
This base pay was good in 2013 when it was set, when minimum wage was $6.68 per...
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