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The county budget office and the sheriff's department remain far apart on the number of deputies needed to patrol areas on the outskirts of San Antonio.
County commissioners continue to work on a nearly $3 billion dollar budget that will take effect on Oct 1. Some county work sessions, meetings, and public hearings are still ahead before commissioners take a final vote on the spending plan on Sept 9.
Sheriff Javier Salazar wants another 43 personnel on the patrol side of his department, while the county budget office has countered that proposal with about half of that or 22 additional personnel.
The county budget office has matched the sheriff's request for 70 new personnel to staff the South Tower at the Adult Detention Center. The detention center is busting at the seams with typically more than 5,000 inmates at a time and with local inmates housed in Burnet and Kerr Counties to prevent overcrowding.
The sheriff is also seeking just over one-million dollars for a bargain deal to buy a helicopter from the DPS to help patrol over sprawling subdivisions.
The sheriff told Precinct 1 County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores during questioning by her during a work session this week that he has to frequently request a helicopter from other agencies, like the San Antonio Police Department or Texas Department of Public Safety.
"It's every single day, multiple times a day that we are relying on these other agencies to help us with regard to pursuits, for fugitives in the brush," he said. "In many cases, searches for children that wandered off, for seniors that have wondered off."
Precinct 4 County Commissioner Tommy Calvert favors the chopper deal.
"I want to remind the court that the population in unincorporated Bexar County is as big as the City of Albuquerque basically. And not having a helicopter is a big loss for our constituents."
More than half a million residents live in areas patrolled by the sheriff's office.
