Today’s public hearing on the Angelina County 2018 Budget had a much more subdued tone than the recent heated exchange that permeated the talks between Sheriff Greg Sanches and the Angelina County Commissioners’ Court on Aug 8, 2017.
Angelina County Sheriff Greg Sanches has been fighting for an increase in manpower that would be covered by a two cent property tax increase, if approved by the Commissioners Court when they set the budget for Angelina County.
The public hearing today lasted just over an hour with comments on both sides. When the talks were over, the 2018 budget was approved unanimously without discussion.
For Sheriff Greg Sanches, the fight is not quite over.
“What I want to do is continue on the path of being proactive, keep the deputies’ moral up,” he said. “Just because we lost this time, we’re not giving up. As long as I’ve got the energy to do what I’m doing, I’ll keep fighting for the increase in manpower because it’s been too long.”
SUPPORT FOR TAX INCREASE
At the public hearing, many shared their support for Sanches, like Karen Hopkins, who stepped away from her daughter in intensive care to briefly share her disappointment in the “appalling behavior” the Court displayed on Aug. 12, 2017, before speaking in favor of the tax increase.
“I’ve lived in Angelina County all my life. I pay taxes here. I know with all my heart we need more funds for deputie,” Hopkins said. “Sixteen years ago, I found my 13-year-old son lying unresponsive in my home. Had a deputy been stationed closer, could he have helped me save him? I will never know,” she said. “Yes, there are some that will be upset their taxes have been raised. It has to be done.”
“I don’t have any simple solutions for you,” retired Assistant District Attorney Layne Thompson told the Commissioners Court. “All of the departments want money, I understand that. And it’s a difficult job to determine who gets that. But let me ask you, which would suffer a loss of life if underfunded? I can only think of one: sherriff’s office.”
“We hired the sheriff to rebuild and improve the sheriff’s office and, for the last four years, he has done that exemplarily,” said Scott Cooper. “He’s done that within the budget you have given him. He’s done it as best he could, shifting money, shifting manpower. He is now at a stop. He can do no more until the Commissioner’s Court assists him in that endeavor. Is that going to require raising taxes? Yes, because he needs the manpower.”
SUPPORT FOR PROPOSED BUDGET
Others shared statements of support for the proposed budget, like Karen Huffman, Angelina County Treasurer for over nine years.
“I am so relieved to see that you’ve been able to develop a budget that does not cut positions here in the county,” Huffman said. “This proposed budget means that the county should be able to maintain our current service levels in all departments.”
Also in favor of the Commissioner’s budget was Kevin Wisener, Angelina County resident for over 50 years.
“I’m pro law enforcement,” he said, “but what bothers me is that we had a $350,000 surplus for the sheriff’s budget last year, and this is a budget meeting. It’s got nothing to do with everybody wanting more law enforcement to protect us.”
Wisener was a Correctional Officer for Texas Department of Corrections for four years for a maximum security prison in Huntsville where inmate housing has increased from 60,000 when he started, to 120,000 currently and he sees community involvement like Neighborhood Watches as a major deterrent.
Don Lindberry said that he attends every meeting of the Commissioner’s Court and that he supports their budget, citing the time has passed to make changes.
“Do we need law enforcement? Of course,” said Lindberry. “What y’all don’t know is that there’s already been a budget meeting. There was an earlier budget meeting, I was one of the only civilians there … Three hours the commissioners agonized over trying to get the sherriff’s dept more money. Nobody knew about it. It’s never come out in the newspaper. It’s not in the news. All the commissioners had been told by their constituents not to raise taxes. So they had no choice but to do what they were elected to do and at that point they could not do anything else with this budget.”
AN EYE OPENER
For a few, the recent communication breakdown was an eye opener into what the Commissioners actually do.
“I don’t have a clue what it’s like to sit back there where you guys are,” said Tish Bryan.
Bryan has been the Crime Watch Community Coordinator for the Homer/Alto community since 2003 and has seen an increase in crime, but she also noted that working with current law enforcement is much better than in the past.
As a county resident, she shared concern that most of her life she has heard that Angelina County is poor and nothing can be done about it.
“I never thought I’d be here, standing, saying ‘Okay. Raise my tax a little bit.’ I never thought those words would come out of my mouth but they are.”
She then pleaded with the Court to look to the future.
“Please, lets start somewhere. If not this year, then let’s set an example for future course. Lead by example and by character and do something instead of nothing,” Bryan said.
