Okay, let's bring the commuters court to order, please. We have a little bit different today. Let's start off with the opening prayer of the pleasure of allegiance. Then let's go right into the county, the public hearing on the tax increase. So let's stand for opening prayer in the pleasure of allegiance. We have volunteers for the prayer this morning. Right here. We have volunteers for the prayer this morning. Right here. This prayer we need. Father, we come to you today with prayer and thank you for this beautiful day and the beautiful country in which we live. Father, be with us as this commissioner's court needs. Be with them and the decisions that they may be with our leaders, be with our land that we might follow the path you would have to go. Father, be with our armed services. Both here and abroad, if it be thy will, bring them safely home. We ask for you to watch over this body, allow us to do your will in your name. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the people of the United States of America and to the Republic or which it stands, one nation under God in individual with liberty and justice for all. On my technical side, I pledge allegiance to the D-Tech-Hases, one nation under God, one nation under God, one nation under God. Okay, let's recess this court for a public hearing on the tax increase, J.R. Moore, please. Judge, just the last information to re-enterate it because you've got a large group of people here today. This first public hearing that you're having is not part of your regular agenda. The law does not allow it to be treated like a budget hearing, for example. It stands alone as a separate agenda item. The items that are brought before you today have to stay strictly to the tax increase. That means you can't talk personnel as you can't talk about budgets. You can't talk about cats and dogs. It strictly has to do with the tax increase and how that affects the first and it's here. The three minutes is a limit on that but it does not keep a mother or child or son and the father from talking to you. You have to anybody talk that wants to talk. The only thing that you got to be careful is you do not stray away from the tax increase and get into issues that are not related to the tax increase. Great. Thank you. So I'll. Great, thank you. So I'll turn it over to you. Alrighty. Alrighty, do we have any citizens who would like to address Commissioner's Court a connection with the tax increase that this budget will incur? the tax increase that this budget will incur. That being the case, we need to set the time, place, and date. That this governing body will hold a second public hearing, and the time and date the governing body will meet to vote on the tax rate. The next public hearing on August 20th at 930. Is this building? Is your second public hearing on tax increase? Is the meeting that you're going to vote on that is going to be at a regular meeting that's on September 4th at 930th at this building? If you'll just have the motion to include both of those. Okay, I move that we had the next public hearing on August 20th here in this building. And also I move that we have the meeting, the final meeting on September the 4 2012 in this building also. Second. All in favor say aye. All right. Let's adjourn the public hearing and reconvene commissioners court. For the record all members of the court are present. We need to motion on the agenda, please move. Thank you. All fairs. Yeah. All the favor see out. Christians we have three resolutions today first is national payroll week We have anybody here to read that I move All the favor see out Next, please say three mobility projects. I don't have a copy that rather rather loose, but it was sent in by Woodland's Road Utility District. It's their desire to go to HGAC in the state to fund three projects. They will provide all of the necessary funding, engineering and construction costs for those projects. I would move the support projects based on that. Second. In discussion? All I'll paper say I. Second in discussion all of paper say aye Next commissioners this is a very similar resolution to the one we passed relating to the wood the Conroe Woodlands urbanized area In the first resolution we asked that we Desinate Conroe as a designated recipient of federal transit dollars this resolution basically Request that we have a duo recipient of the woodlands and Conroe And I move All of favor say aye. Okay, under county clerk, commissioners, we need to prove the minutes for July 23rd and under 8B, July 30th. All in favor say aye. On the consent, commissioners, I have no changes. Move. Thank you. All in favor say aye. Okay. We need to recess commissioners court again and have a meeting with the Montgomery County jail financing corporation. And we need to have an executive session. The court will recess for executive session pursuant to one or more of the following provisions of the Texas government code. 551 sub chapter D. Do we need to meet an executive session on this bill is back in back. Okay. Okay, let's bring the court back to order. We need to order an appraisal on the Joe Corleed Attentive Facility. So we need to emotional on those lines, commissioners. I'm going to move. That is OK. Purchasing. Going to, if you would, give with us on the various torches you have. Some people have experience in jail, praises, or some don't. So I'll never see how. Motion passes. OK, listen, join the Jill Finance Corp and Reconmaning Commission's court. in the next week. Sure. Good morning. Good morning, Chief. In 11-8 we ask you to consider and approve the acceptance of the 2012 Jag Grant Award and authorized Judge Sather to sign all the related paperwork. These funds for the Edward Burm Memorial Jag Grant program through the U.S. Department of Justice titled Montgomery County 2012 Jag Project. This grant application was approved on May 7th and has no cash match. The grant is for a total of $66,541 for the purchase of body armor and this will be for deputies working at the sheriff's office. All in favor, see how? All in favor. Compasses. In 11-B, we ask you to consider and approve the request to pay position 56023-5935-2, a one-time lump sum salary payment in the amount of $8,730.93. The payment is for this sergeant's 14 years of service with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. This sergeant participates in the Sheriff's Office step plan and is owed the above amount. The payment does not increase the approved salary structure. We asked that $7,761.64 be charged to budget line 5601-99999 and 979 dollars and 29 cents should be charged to budget line 5601-7104 What is this Randy? What is this Randy? Is this a certificate pay or whatever he has? No sir. He never got or what is this? No sir. This is a salary that he never received. It was an oversight on the agency's part and he did not receive it. What do we have to salary? Increase in salary? Yes sir. Over the years? Yes sir. He never got an interest. Based on the step program. Yes sir. Over the years. Based on the step program. Yes sir. It's for two year tampering. Yes sir. He was one that fell through the cracks and we missed him. Well I move. Second. All of a favor say I. Thank you. Is that 87 hundred about an average for a two-year timeframe? I'm sure it is the two-year. About a year. Yes, sir. In C, we actually consider and accept funds from the 13-speed step ramp in the amount of $31,590 matching funds of $19,237 are funded in the budget for FY 2013. The grant application was approved in commission report on February 13th. All in favor, say aye. Thank you. This is attorney good morning All of the funds are actually in time match and work with your funds. For me, all of our application work is approved up February 13th, 2001. Second. All in favor. All in favor. All in favor, see, aye. Motion passes. We also, as you consider, an approved extension of Montgomery County Policy 5.1, dash 7 and 5.1 dash 1-on authorizing payments to the investment companies, employees and programs eligible not exactly employees. In reference to the same grant to allow for over top payment for employees working to know what's easy again. The rate of $45 an hour is apparently going to investigate if we take out a grant fund. We neglected the put in there, but we also needed to prove the salary of salary of them like all of the other for the different district funds. That's in the beforehand. The state salary rates for folks with us. Move. That's all I favor to say out. Motion passes. Thank you. All of the test boards, better more. All with that test force. There's more. Morning, Judge. Good morning. I'm here this morning for the approval of the 2013 APTPA grant. $391,210. Thank you. Thank you. Constable precinct one. Thank you. Constable precinct one. I don't think now and here today judge, just certain proof will this ISD school board approved salaries for 2012, 2013 for the officers that are signed with this ISD. I move. Thank you. All the papers say I'm a nice and pass. Constable, present three. Good morning, Judge. Good morning, commissioners. Good morning. So as I would like to request from the court, uh, 15 a consider and approve funding, the payoff of unused leave hours for positions 5531-8910-1 and 5531- 4 dash 5 9 1 0 dash 1 and I believe the totaling amount for that is 11,500 and 15 cents. That's your folks that are leading. Sir, that's pay off the folks that are leading. Yes sir. I move. I'm going to do from contingency. Thank you. All in favor. I have. Motion passes. Thank you guys say ah. Motion passes. Thank you guys very much. Thank you very much. Thank you. Good morning. Okay. This is Odeal. Good morning, gentlemen. 16 A's to consider and approve the closing of two full-time positions, allocating the funds from those positions to bring up 10 part-time and 10 full-time positions and make that effective. August 18th. This does not increase the salary budget and will decrease the salary benefit line item by $5,282. Thank you. Thank you. Library. Good morning. Good morning. We are here to appoint a representative from Pre-Sync 4. My typo from 1 to 4 should be changed. This is Melinda Bacon, Commissioner Reinhart and I have reviewed her credentials. She's a retired math teacher from the school district in the area. She and her husband are longtime residents committed to working with the school district, the library friends. She's on the Mount Gumri County East, Mount Gumri County Fair Association. Works with St. John over the Cross Food Pantry. I would ask you to appoint her to a four-year term from August 2012 to July 2016. Move. Thank you. On favor of the seat. Thank you. Thank you. Robert, Robert, and Picello. Good morning. I'd like to ask you to consider and improve the transfer of line items from one to several line items to the others. These are not going to increase any amount of money. It's just a minute of some funds aren't needed and some line items and move to others. That's not what's on here. Really? What's on here, Chris Bill, is it an increasing copy charges and a charge for packets that are going to be trippied? Oh, okay. Yes. We'd like to. I apologize. I had two things before you. One was the line nine. We'd like to begin to charge for the copy packets. Some of our packets are as large as 59 pages and we routinely hand these out to the public and we'd like to start to charge for that. They can print them out themselves from our computer terminals and that's at 10 cents a page. So this is just an additional amount that would be a convenience. I move. May and May. Second. All in favor, say aye. Thank you, Preseller. Thank you. Okay. Manager Sun, Council. Good morning, Judge and commissioners. Good morning. I have two items on the agenda today. The first one is to consider and accept the Statement of Grant Award for fiscal year 2013, manage the signed council program at the Discussionary Grant from the Texas Commission on Indigent Defense. As in past years, we anticipate the county match to be made from the Indigent Defense Equalization Grant or its First Amendment, and we are asking that you authorize Judge Sadler to sign this Statement of Grant Award. Move. Thank you. All in favor, say aye. I'm sorry. Second agenda item, we're asking you to consider and approve the deobligation. It's a voluntary deobligation of $120,000 from fiscal year 2012 budget for the Managed Assigned Council Program at the request of the Texas Integent Defense Commission. These remaining funds were due to delay in the program started. All in favor, Siah? Thank you. Mental health. So to improve a minimum to the agreement between Montgomery County and Texas Department of State Health, service for position is a forensic hospital effective September 1st, 12. The amendment includes the county will be required to admit female patients without any accommodation by the state for grouping their admission into blocks of land. Patients are more. The state will allow temporary waiver of average daily census level of 89 to provide additional operational flexibility related to the admission of the female patients. Also the contract language has been conformed to recognize a placement of advocacy incorporated and disability rights incorporated and exhibit H has been added which would include the county's obligation to coordinate with other agencies to follow up here for patients after discharge. I move. Second. I'll have a favor say it. Motion passes, elections. On CISI. Item 21A. I ask you to consider and approve polling location changes in voting precincts 2 and 40? Is that going to be forever? Until we have to change them again. No, I mean we're out of these two. Out of the west, permanently. Yes, I've asked us not to come back. I'm a second. All the favor say up. I don't get the same thing forever. Not in polling location. Item B, I ask you to consider and approve the appointment of election officials and the designation of Montgomery County polling locations. Second. All in favor say aye. And I ask you to consider and approve the order of election for the November 6, 2012 general election. Move. All the papers here. Thank you. Thank you. Juzi. Juzi. Juzi. Juzi. Good morning. Good morning. Ask that you consider and approve the fiscal year 2011 emergency solutions grant agreement between Hood and Montgomery County and authorize the judge to sign the documents related to the grant agreement. The emergency solutions grant is our grant for handling homeless situations. We had already received a 2011 allocation and got word that we were receiving an additional allocation so this adds it. It goes to you services. Move. Second. Second. On the favor, Siah. Thank you. Thank you. Alrighty, auditor. Before you is a request to consider and approve an agreement with the county's outside audit firm of perfect lunch sellers and Kirkham. This is for audit services for the county fiscal year ended September 30th 2012 for a dollar amount of $68,100. Move, second. How much is that over last year? It's about $6,000 more than it was last year, Judge. Okay. All the papers here? Uh-uh. Oh, some passes. Next item before you is a request to consider and accept the order from the district judges, setting the increases for the district court reporters for the fiscal year 2013. Move. Move. Second. All of paper. See how I'm that. And finally is a request from County Court at Law Number 3 to use $729. And 42 cents from the court reporter service. Move. Second. All of paper. See how. Already purchasing. Morning, Judge and Commissioner. Morning. Good morning. Item 24. I would like to present recommendations for approval and contract for the following item. Item number 7. Montgomery County Courthouse Rebirth of the North and South Wing Department of Infrastructure. There was six respondents, low bid with due their bid. Second low bid is diamond commercial construction in the amount of $181,134. All the papers here. Motion passes. And B, number one, change or number four, PO2-011-535, the Diamond Commercial Construction Inc. for the construction of the Montgomery County precinct to office buildings and maintenance buildings, Department of Instructure, increase in the amount of 54,000. Move. Second. All in favor, cigar. Item two, change order number one, PO-201-2302, to the city of Conrail for the purchase of materials for the Hawthorne Road Utility Extension, the Lone Star Executive Airport, increase in the amount of $136,472 and 32 cents, and also please indicate a funding source. On this particular item, you had issued certificates of obligation for a set amount for this project. It will exceed that amount by about $52,000. I visited with Scott and he felt that we could use the funds from the Runway 14 project if you would make accommodations for that near upcoming CO issue. This is a result of running the water lines. As everybody knows, there is a dump right next door to the bathroom road. They ran into some debris, a digger line, setting a pipe. That pipe is going to have to be run into a casing. The pipe itself got to be different. That's the cause for the extra money. And it's, I think, scotted into about 2,000 feet. So it's quite a distance. But I move on this and we can use the COs as you spoke of and use the runway money for the rest of it and we'll refund that when we get to it. Is that really very shot on the runway commissioner or do we need to add the increases CEOs? Well, I don't know once we get black forest pre-payment. Okay. We'll be good. It's right now we're having to figure out ways to fund this project until we can get that that pre-planet done. Okay, there's a motion in the second. All in favor? Say aye. On the agenda states number three, it should be C. Consider and approve the purchase of radio communication, emergency response, mobile and an operability equipment through the interlocal agreement with HGAC from Motorola's solutions for emergency management in the amount of $50,766.32 to be funded out of the 2010 UOC grant. Thank you. Those are passes. Okay, County Attorney. In 25A, we have two subleases that we ask your approval and consent to for the airport. One is the subleases from the Great Land Holdings, which is owned and operated by Steven Ratcliffe to fly right aviation. This is for a lease of part of this hangar, includes one office space and hangar space. The lease is 24 months for the 36 months option. The second sub lease is from Galaxy Air Servicis, the dirt, gluten, and blackboard ventures. This is for a lease of hangar space on military drive at the airport. It's for 24 months term. And would be used until the blackboard ventures complete his FBO facility, whichever occurs for 24 months or when they complete. I move on to, I wanted to. So all in favor say aye. 25 B. This is an amendment number 2 to the land lease agreement with Galaxy Airport property. This is a second amendment to their 20 teams land lease. And what they have is we have an amendment to add 0.6 acres strip of land to the track because they need this to accommodate their development plan. The City of Conroe has required additional setbacks area and they need a dis space and it was a small space that really was not usable for any other purpose. The second part of the amendment is a change in the construction timeline. The construction is supposed to commence by December 11, 2012. Phase one of the Hanger construction would be completed by May 9, 2013. All other terms and conditions would remain the same. Move. Second. All in favor, Seattle. All right. In 25C, we have an assignment of a lease at the Longstar Airport. The assignment is from the Irvine family trust to George Wheeler and Joseph Wheeler. This is for Hanger 2 and E2 and one of the Kevin Dowell hangers. It had 1423 square feet and there's no change in the terms and conditions the least terminates in 2046 in about 34 years. Move. Second. All in favor, say aye. In 25D, we ask you to approve a new interlocal agreement with Washington County with performance of autopteams at the forensic services department. This agreement is exactly the same as we have entered into with other counties. Washington County, we believe, will stand 12 to 18 bodies a year for autoptees. So, you can handle those? They can handle these, but we're matched out with these. So if we do some for any other counties then we're going to have to do some contract work. I move. Second. All in favor? Yeah. In 2016 we asked you to approve a renewal or a replacement agreement with Blackmen and Carroll. They have been providing engineering services for the storm water program under the environmental health services department's General Stormwater Permit. The existing contract is expiring and this is a replacement. They basically what they do is providing assistance to edge hate the public on the stormwater drainage. And we also ask when you approve this, that you've granted discretionary extension under local government code for section 262.024A4 that would cover a personal and professional service. How much we pay them? Tammy, do you have that amount? One of those unfunded mandates, one of the legislatures, to have this stormwater drainage plan and educate the public on that. Move. Second. All the papers here? Ah, ah. All right. We have under the commissioners precinct to public hearing. We have to we need to recess this court and convene the public hearing for a precinct to and precinct for considering the food changing the intersection stop sign control from the widely drive approach to the brown bar drive approach is there anyone here to discuss that it considering proof rating the speed limit on Gene Campbell Boulevard to 50 from 500 feet of east of 1485 to tree monkey road then for them as I are to FM 1485 Okay, let's adjourn the public hearings and reconvene commission's court All in favor, say. Okay, under Article 551.071, Article 551.072, the government code list, recessed this court, for executive session. Okay, this is Bring Commission's Court. Back to order, please. Commissioners, we need a motion. Frank, well, let me just, I'll make the motion myself for an order to encourage expenses and connection with 28 B and C. All of every say on motion passes. Commissioners on 28 E, we need a motion to have the compromise and settlement with the insurance company. This is a connection with our medical plans, sub-rigation agreement, the $30,000 settlement. We need a motion. All in favor see I. All righty, do we have any citizens who would like to address commissioners courts day? Yes, sir Gentlemen, I'm Dave Wallace. Arning. Good morning. So as I'm asking that you are requesting that you give a additional consideration about the 3% merit proposed to all county employees. This was an exception for commission employees within the sheriff's office who are in a pay structure program or referred to as a step pay program. It is our understanding that the pay structure program was initiated to stop the attrition within the MCSO. The program has apparently been successful by reducing attrition down to about 6%. It is also understanding this program was never intended to be on lieu of merit or co-la increases. There is apparently an annual misunderstanding for this program about being funded. We know that from year to year there is quite a discussion on whether it's going to be funded or not. There's also no documented plan or policy in place regarding this pay structure program, which apparently contributes to the annual misunderstandings. I took some time just briefly, and I'm sure you're all aware of what a definition is and definition of what a merit pay is based on Some information I got off the internet from about comm this is a part of the New York Times company And they define Alston Doyle wrote this and defines a merit pay as an increase based on goals or Achievements set by an employer rather than a pay rate best based on a union contract or a defined pay scale for a position. It is also known as a pay for performance. Merit pay typically involves a supervisor meeting with the employee to discuss the employee's work and to award an increase or a bonus based on performance. with that in mind, you know, I'm coming to you, you know, as a representation of the law enforcement community here within the county. And I fielded quite a few phone calls this last week as the vice president of the law enforcement association and members calling and they're concerned about their work, not being recognized that maybe they're not doing a good enough job or someone thinks they're not doing a good enough job. And I try to explain, I don't think that's the message that's being sent, but that's what's being perceived. We got guys out here that are working 12-hour shifts, maybe four or five guys assigned to a shift in a district. And you guys know that because you have four or five people assigned does not mean that that's what's there. A couple of people offer various reasons, sicknesses, sicknesses in family or vacation time. And these guys are running calls for 12 hours just getting hammered. They're getting killed out here. The one guy calls me and tells me he says, hey, I asked for a day off this weekend. I needed to go to my, really wanted to go to my daughter's birthday party on Saturday. And I said, yeah, and he said, but I couldn't take off because we didn't have enough guys. I'm already going through a divorce and I wanted to go to my daughter's birthday party. Those are just, that's just a small example of what these guys are going through. And yet, you know, I see this merit pay put in place for all county employees except for this group that has been classified in a pay structure. And I think we all, I think most of us agree that that just doesn't seem fair. There have been some questions and some comments made about abandoning the pay structure. And I don't think that's the answer. I think that there are some things that can be worked out there. I think when it comes to the law enforcement services that are provided here in the county, I think these guys do an exceptional job and exceptional job and they're limited. I don't have the exact figures but I think our federal government, the FBI, says that we should have a lot more officers on the street compared to the population. And I think we are way, way, way, slow that. And again, I don't have those figures. I think we have them somewhere within the department but I don't have them. I guess to sum it up, we look at this as what the workload that they're performing. Are they doing a good job and are they worthy of this pay raise? I think they are. I think everybody out here believes that they're doing a good job and it shows. I mean, they're staying. And they stay here because of this pay structure that was put in place. We're not losing people because of it. It has been successful because of that. But because of these things, this merit that's being put in place for all county employees, except for the people that are in this pay structure, this could have an adverse effect, and we could lose people because of it. There are a lot of them that are saying, you know, if I'm not doing a good enough job, you know, or this is where it's going to be, I'm not really, I don't care about this pay program. I'm going to leave. I'm going to go. Well, I don't think they're going to bail out and leave. I think a lot, I think for the most part they're just angry and upset about what's transpired. And with that being said, we respectfully ask that you reconsider this issue and not exclude any of the law enforcement personnel in this merit increase. Also, I had spoken to a couple of members of the court last week and we ask that you consider another issue regarding the county personnel. It's come to my attention and just looking at some of the numbers and the figures that there are county personnel that receive a salary stipend that's built into their base pay. And it appears that these employees are contributing more to the retirement plan based on that base pay in comparison to other county employees who don't have that salary stipend built into their base pay. And if I cannot give you an example, what I've come up with. Gross income earned is the base for contributions to the retirement system at 6%. What this means in comparison to deputies, a deputy constable would be earning approximately $60,000 a year with that salary stipend billed into their best pay. At $23.07 per pay period compared to a deputy sheriff at fifteen eighty three per pay period based on the earnings the deputy constable would be contributing a much higher amount approximately a hundred and thirty eight dollars to a retirement program compared to the deputy sheriff at ninety four dollars and of course the counties match to that which is going to be greatly increased. I'm not in any way criticizing the death of the Council's earnings. I understand what the need for their salary stipend is or a car allowance but I don't think this is a fair system if these contributions are based on a base rate and I just again, I'd like to recap by asking the court to reconsider the merit pay issue Thank you. Thank you Do we have any more comments from the public? Regarding any substance matters regarding any subject matter. Commissioner, any of you I want to address? What we've just heard? I'd like to say a thank you all. The y'all go through and have a valuation of what you've done, your performance and all that stuff. Along with... Yes, stuff. Along with that, do you get a sheet from human resource where it shows you how much a county puts in and what your salary actually is? I can't say that I received that. I mean, I do that every year. I go take my supervisors and we evaluate everybody in there. And then on the back of that sheet it tells how much the county has contributed on the insurance and retirement and all that stuff. That might be something you need to look at. Yes. Just a little bit. Yeah. Great. I was going to say that the step plan in my opinion was never ever intended to take you if we don't think you're doing a good job. Certainly. The way I understood the step plan was that it was to take the place of those raises to ensure that the law enforcement personnel got raises even at times when our regular civilian county employees didn't. But there was never any intention to say you're not doing a good job by not applying merit raises to that. I thought I quite frankly the other way around was to ensure that we were done and get you guys compensated. I think for clarification, one of the things that I touched on was that there's no plan or policy in regards to the step-pay program. There's a program spreadsheet that shows basically what a deputy is going to receive at different increments throughout their career. And we have officers that have been hired on since this plan was put in place that may not have reached a certain point to receive a pay raise. And it's hard to explain to people without some policy or plan in place that they can understand. You have guys out here on the street bottom line that that this is the way they see it. They see it as everyone else is going to receive is receiving a merit increase and we're not receiving this merit increase. If you have someone that you know just you know came into the department year to ago they've not seen an increase in their salary and they're not going to for four years and a four year you know a-year time span is quite a bit of time. It is actually quite a bit of time. If the court gave a 3% increase every year to county employees, that would far exceed the amount that these officers would receive on a four-year increment. I know that that doesn't necessarily happen every year, 3% it varies depending on the budget. I do understand that. But to the last four it's been zero. I understand that. Well what you guys like to get off of it. I don't think like a regular county employee like it was. The only reason step plans in policy is because the administration came to us and told us had to do it. I mean, there was no way around it. We had to have it. Randy, you were there. You remember the meeting? It was something that we figured out how to fund and made it happen. It wasn't our idea. We were we reacted as a result of meetings with Sheriff and Randy and Polly I think Polly was I forgot who I was everybody was HR That's been what Randy five six seven years ago It's been a while about five years oh nine What and and that's why that policies in place now? You know if administration comes back and says, we want to do away with it, everybody, just like every other county employee, I'd certainly vote for that. I don't think anyway I want to get out of the step-piece structure. I don't think we want out of it. Like Commissioner Dawes said, it's certainly not sitting in a message of any kind. I mean, that's the way it is and that's what we can afford to do without raising taxes. And, you know, if we had plenty of money, a different story, we would have given raises to our regular county employees two out of the last four years, which we have not done. So, I mean, it's budget driven. I don't really see any way around it, the way the program is set up right now. But it's certainly not sending a message that you're not doing a good job or certainly has nothing to do with it. Well, respectfully, we're asking that consideration be given to the StepPay program. If you're given the 3% to the rest of the county employees that you look at increasing the step-pay program. Even if it's not 3%, I understand you're point of view and we've also we've had discussion about maybe restructuring the step-pay program where it's not on four-year increments maybe it's on a two-year adjustment. I think that's a little more appealing. And they get the cost to live it. You know one thing. I would just say. Well, let's back up to that, Commissioner. I said every county employee outside this pay structure is going to receive a merit increase this year. This year, a merit. Last time we gave a raise, you guys got cost of that and i i'm not arguing that but a merit increase because it is not is not a coli and and they say merit you're basing it off of everyone's work performance i'm gonna say that i'm i'm just gonna venture to say that there's probably not a hundred percent of employees that are are performing meritoriously i don't think that they're going that that's something that they should be rewarded for. I don't I think that question came up in the in the court. I listened to some of the audios and I think that was something that was brought up. So it either it is a marriage or it's not. It is. I think you would be reasonable to look at the step great plan and adjust it. Yes, sir. I think it needs to be done until you're in on a date with that. But if we adjust that, because if you go back to Old Man and come forward with the amount of pay raise percentage of pay raise that's of course awarded to county employees whether it was a COLA or Ameritrade, the step grade plan is going to be ahead percentage-wise over that timeframe. Yes or do the four year increment makes it very very hard on obviously the deputy. I don't think we've got anyone on this court anyone with a county that questions the dedication of Montgomery County Sheriff's Department and the council. Yes or do there should be a way to adjust this, I think it's reasonable to look at keeping it at least equal, but you mentioned that the deputies didn't get a raise out of this when there's last year, whenever the Colour was, I mean we didn't get pay raises and we, we, we, historical get pay raises every other year, just about that time frame since I've been on the court for 26 years. Yes. It's, it's going to be probably ahead in a step. Great. Well, in fact, today, for example, we gave $8,000 to one person that missed the filter of the cracks. I'm aware of that. That's 4,000 a year. I don't know what that deputy makes. What does he achieve? You know what that deputy makes. What does he achieve if you know what that deputy makes? Let's say it's 50. You can see it's at least accruing for it at 7%, 8%, which is higher than what we're giving to county employees. Just like you mentioned, your chance said. just like Mr. Chan said I think if you really look at the totality of the step-grade program y'all are gonna be ahead of the county employees I really think you're the problem is is the four years just like Mr. Chan said I agree with that and and we did have some discussion about that. I think if we can get a defined plan or policy in place regarding the pay structure where there are no misunderstandings from year to year, I think that's another benefit that should be in place. I think these guys are going to understand it a lot better and I certainly will understand it myself and know that that's in place and we're not worried about whether it's going to be funded from year to year that it's built in. We have made sure you got your state of great funding whether we got braces or not for other county employees. I've emptied that. We guaranteed that. I'm going to leave that alone, Judge. I'm going to stay away from that because I've heard other things and I'm not going to base anything I say on just what I've heard. But I think to have a plan or policy in place regarding that structure, I think it's probably going to benefit all of us on an understanding. So, Tony and the referee, you all have a plan? A written out plan for how the step-rate works? We had the structure, just the structure, the worksheet, if you will. We didn't go out and define it and write all the specifications of this part. Well, I mean, every time we have an item come through court that shows an increase in salary for someone that's met the next grade, there's got to be a formula for calculating that. We just, we looked at all'all based on that structure. But in that, there you go. I mean, that's the way. Mr. Wallace, yes. You would take this and share that with as many people as you can. This shows county funding for the Sheriff's Department says, 1994 in dollars and people. And I'd love for you to take a look at that. You have received more money as a department increases than any department in Montgomery County. Is a percent and in dollars. And you know, you keep talking merit. I think the step-gride is merit-driven. If the court wouldn't have been satisfied or very pleased with what existing deputies were doing in their job, I don't think whatever passed step-grade. I mean that was merit-driven in itself. Well, and guess let me back up and understand something to try to understand something too. I mean there was, there was a pay structure in place before this. There was deputy one, deputy two, on through deputy four. So there was a pay increment there. This was adjusted, I think, at a higher rate to try to keep people here, keep us from hiring people, training them, and then leaving and going elsewhere. I understand that. But as it has been explained to me, that's something that you are going to receive here as part of a pay structure on longevity. The longer you hear the more money you're going to make. It wasn't, it was not explained to us and never has been that it was in lieu of a merit or cost-aliving increase. That's the only thing I'm saying. Is that a pay structure? I'll solidify. I throw. You do get cost-alive. Well, I'm, I'm going to say that it appears that the merit increase that's been given out this year has the hint of being a colex up for this group of people. That's what it has the hint of. Okay. So you go back and after 16 years, you start getting the step plan. After 16 years, you're out of the pay program and we receive your 16 year out of the pay program. I understand there's some issue over that now too based on the last the last year paid is 16 years. So really the year you go back into the normal program is year 17. After 16 years correctly. And I think that's what the sheriff's office Understood too was that after 17 years Based on the courts last recommendation that the officers at 17 or plus would receive the merit I think there was some argument about that recently about it being 20 years because of the paper. I don't think so okay Well, we understand each other on that great. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you I'm gonna review you higher on that. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank to a sergeant what happens to it's there's a different grade within those pay structures be here lagging be promoted to the different to a different pay structure to grade inside that one is with the staff absolutely yes sir okay was this four years would start over with no it would not start over it would move over to the structure I misunderstood that there was nothing but the step plan but in fact if they're as they're promoted and move up through the ranks yeah right that promotion move up through the ranks. Yeah, right. That promotion carries up to the next step actually. As soon as the rank goes up, is that a larger number as well? Not necessarily. I don't think so. I think as you increase in rank, I don't think it increases. I think it actually gets lower. You know, the step is the same for everybody. I don't think it increases. I think it actually gets lower. The staff is the same for everybody. And there is a percentage based on which step you're going to in the structure. Yes. Mr. Wallace, he was up to me. I would all make a hundred thousand a year. I wish it was up to you too, Judge. I would love that. If that's the case, I wish it was up to you also. If anybody gets arrested, you guys to agree with that, I think we can put in. Please take the message back to the rest of the department that it was never the intent of this court to indicate that we didn't think that you guys were doing a good job and I'm here and you say that and I believe you but I guess well I guess the problem ends up being what you what you do here I don't know I don't know what you can call it but you're calling it a merit increase for all employees except for this group and this group is saying that hey this is a merit everybody else is getting we're not I guess we're not doing a good job or you're keeping my eyes I'll look at it. No I'm not. I'll be there. I have a good good. Absolutely. Thank you for coming. Thank you. Are there any other comments today for the commissioners court? We're not through yet. You mean resources? I'm catching in to die for human resources, please. All right. I don't approve the federal change with the west. Thanks, thank you. All in favor, CIA? No, but we do. Anything else to make sure to come up with? Before we adjourn. There's a second. All in favor, CIA.