GEORGETOWN – A perceived staffing shortage has led Williamson County Sheriff’s Office to speak out against County Commissioners.
Citing an internal salary study that suggests the county would need over 400 additional deputies to meet the national average for staffing, the Sheriff’s Office and the Williamson County Deputies Association asked commissioners for a budget allotment that would fund just over 20 additional hires.
During their Aug. 29 meeting, commissioners voted 3-2 to approve an addition to the budget that funds adding four sheriff deputies. Sheriff Mike Gleason and Charles Duvall, president of the Deputies Association, held a press conference on the steps of the courthouse after the motion to speak on the “ongoing battle” with the Court.
“It boils down to high school politics, we’re tired of it,” Duvall said. “We want a good working relationship with our Commissioners’ Court. So, when we go and ask them for what we need, not what we want but what we need, they can give it to us. We need these deputies and they’re not even entertaining the offer.”
Last week, a motion for 11 new deputies failed. The four positions added are in addition to funding for two new deputy hires.
County Judge Bill Gravell, who was one of the two dissenting votes, said the Court has added a combined $14.6 million to the budget of the Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement and corrections in the last three years.
“The truth is this Williamson County Commissioners’ Court has worked tirelessly to provide the Sheriff’s Office with the resources they need to protect the residents of Williamson County,” Gravell said. “I didn’t vote to add additional staff because the data didn’t support it.”
Additionally, Gravell said the calls for service have dropped 25% since 2019. He mentioned the number of incident reports by deputies, arrest reports, citations, traffic tickets and warnings have also dropped.
The Deputies Association released a statement the evening before the meeting, which said the association would seek assistance from the state if needs were not met.
The statement also labeled the commissioners who did not support adding deputies as Republicans.
Meanwhile, commissioners shared disappointments with the press release and communication from the Sheriff.
“If there is a staffing crisis based upon what the press release said, Sheriff (Gleason), why didn’t you call any of the commissioners to talk to us about it?,” Precinct 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long said. “You sent your chief. That’s a leadership issue.”
Gleason later said he was out of town sitting on national boards as a sheriff and was under a time constraint.
He added his chief of staff is more than capable of speaking on his behalf.
“We communicate all the time, contrary to what you just heard,” Gleason said. “That was a show, what you just saw out there.”
Gleason said he has not looked at adding state troopers in the county at this time.
