EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso County officials say the Sheriff’s Office is now projected to end the fiscal year with a $4.1 million deficit, a figure that grew by more than $550,000 in one week.

County officials said on Tuesday the projected shortfall is being driven by salaries, overtime and jail meals, with about $9 million left in the Sheriff’s Office operating budget.

Commissioner Jackie Butler questioned the pace of the increase, saying, “It’s going up substantially week after week, so what are we, what are we doing to do? Are we just going to see it grow by $2 million by the end of the fiscal year?”

Budget and Finance Director Carmen Candelaria said the county has met with the sheriff about spending controls. “So we have met with the sheriff’s office, and he has indicated to us that he is looking at every expenditure that does come through to make sure it’s actually necessary, as well as the salaries,” Candelaria said.

Commissioners unanimously approved moving $1.5 million from the county’s operations budget to help cover the cost of meals at the jails. They also approved transferring $27,000 from the courthouse security fund to cover the cost of ballistic shields.

This comes after El Paso County Sheriff Oscar Ugarte said in August that the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office faced a projected $2.5 million year-end budget shortfall driven largely by overtime and staffing needs, but emphasized the figure is a projection that could change.

“In response to reports regarding the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office’s projected budget shortfall, I want to provide the people of El Paso County with information about what is driving it and what we are doing to address it,” Ugarte previously said in a statement.

“The budget closes on September 30th, and right now it’s projected more or less about $2.5 million that we’re short if we continue at the rate that we are going,” said Ugarte.

He said the costs of public safety operations are substantial, including operating detention facilities, putting deputies on the streets, investigating crimes, responding to emergencies, training employees and maintaining equipment, while also stressing the need for fiscal responsibility. “But every taxpayer dollar must also be justified and spent responsibly,” Ugarte said.

Ugarte also said he has raised concerns since taking office about whether authorized staffing levels match current needs and said the office is requesting “a professional, independent staffing assessment of our detention and law enforcement operations.”

RECOMMENDED: El Paso County Sheriff’s Office projects $2.5M budget shortfall tied to overtime needs

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