HOUSTON—Imagine having to cut your household budget by 16 percent – you’d have to give up a lot.
Other items, you’d fight to keep.
That’s the situation facing Harris County.
The county’s financial outlook is tight. Even the sheriff and local constables are facing 13- to 15-percent budget reductions.
And that’s worse news on top of bad news. Recently, the county had to raise the rates for its contract deputies, who provide additional security for neighborhoods. But many of those subdivisions chose not to pay the increase.
"The 7-percent increase in contracts, I’ve already lost several deputies. That’s real unfortunate. Good deputies I had to lay off because of that increase," Precinct 6 Constable Victor Trevino said.
Trevino, a veteran constable, used to have a staff of 70 deputies. But now, he’s had to let four of them go, and he may have to cut more soon.
The county has suggested re-aligning personnel, reducing the numbers of hours or service, reducing the workforce and reducing overall salaries.
Trevino said he’s ready to consider across-the-board salary cuts, starting at the top.
"If we’ve got to look at salary cuts, we’ve got to look at ourselves first, before we touch the employees," Trevino said.
He said the county should look at all of its spending – from office furniture to new vehicles.
County commissioners will begin hearings on the budget after the holidays. They expect to finalize it in March.
