It took two votes of Commissioners Court Tuesday afternoon before certificate pay for Sheriff’s Office employees was approved to be continued for the time being. The time frame is until the first week of May when it could be ceased unless it is included in a new collective bargaining agreement between the county and the Sheriff’s Office Employees Union.
The first motion made by Commissioner Jody Crump, who missed last week’s vote, was to discontinue certificate pay by the next pay period in early April and failed 2 to 3. The second motion by Commissioner Barry Burton was to continue the certificate pay until May 7, it passed by a vote of 3 to 2.
Commissioners John Gothia and Johnny Trahan voted against both motions. Gothia said he is for certificate pay for deputies, but wants more information before setting deadlines on discontinuing it. The commissioner added he would always vote for certificate pay because it is good for the citizens of the county if their law enforcement officers are better trained. Gothia stated, “Before I make a motion on whether to extend or put deadlines on it I just want more information.”
To that goal County Judge Brint Carlton promised Gothia and the other members of the Commissioners Court that a closed executive session would be scheduled next week. Next Tuesday’s executive session will be to update Gothia and all the commissioners on the collective bargaining agreement with the Sheriff’s employees.
Commissioner Barry Burton made the motion to extend certificate pay until May with the hope that the deadline would create some urgency to the negotiations in order to get a new contract with Sheriff’s Office Union. Burton said he was for certificate pay, but wants to see it in a contract. “This has dragged along for so long we need to get it fixed,” Burton concluded.
In addition to the closed executive session next week, Burton also stipulated in his motion that the deadline on certificate pay could be extended past the first week of May. He included in his motion a possible vote of the Commissioners Court during their last meeting in April if necessary because of any scheduling conflicts in getting all the parties together for contract negotiations.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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