El Paso County Sheriff’s Office nears fiscal year end with projected $5.9M deficit

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — With just days left in the El Paso County fiscal year, county commissioners are facing a projected nearly $6 million deficit in the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office budget — a shortfall that has grown by millions of dollars in just over a month.

The sheriff’s office is now projected to have a $5.9 million deficit.

The projected deficit has climbed steadily since August, according to figures presented by the county: $2.5 million on Aug. 24, $4.1 million on Aug. 31, $4.6 million on Sept. 14, and now $5.9 million.

El Paso County Sheriff Oscar Ugarte said the office is struggling with funding and staffing levels.

“We’re not properly funded. We’re not properly staffed. That’s something that I’ve been communicating with the court,” Ugarte said.

Emily Schmalz reports on El Paso County Sheriff’s Office nears fiscal year end with projected $5.9M deficit (Credit: KFOX14)

Ugarte said overtime is one of the main drivers of the deficit, with much of it tied to the detention facility.

“Most of the overtime that the sheriff’s office uses is in the detention facility. We believe that the sheriff’s office is not properly staffed,” he said.

Ugarte said staffing gaps mean overtime is needed to cover training, sick leave, military leave and inmate hospital transports.

He also said that while many people apply for jobs, some do not make it through the hiring process.

“It does take a process. A lot of people do apply, but they have to go through the hiring process, which is a test, you know, a polygraph test, a background and a lot of them don’t make it,” Ugarte said.

Ugarte also said the sheriff’s office loses some detention officers to other law enforcement agencies that pay more.

County Commissioner Illiana Holguin said the county wants the sheriff’s office to work more closely with the county’s budget department to avoid a similar situation next year.

“We definitely don’t want to find ourselves in the same situation next year with next year’s budget. So we’ve requested and the sheriff has agreed to work much more closely with the county’s budget department,” Holguin said.

Holguin said the county will have to address the shortfall, including paying for overtime that has already been worked.

“Those are salaries for employees of the sheriff’s office that have already worked. So the answer is not that we’re not going to pay it. We have to pay it,” she said.

Ugarte also addressed why he has not attended some recent budget meetings, pointing to the size of the agency and delegation to command staff.

“As sheriff, you know, I have 1,100 employees. I have ten command staff. Each command staff has a responsibility. You know, I cannot be everywhere,” Ugarte said.

County officials recently approved funding for a third-party assessment of the sheriff’s office to review its facilities, operations and procedures and identify possible efficiencies.

Ugarte said the sheriff’s office is already working on improvements for next year, including personnel reassignments, and said he hopes the assessment is completed soon.

“We are doing some reassignment of personnel just to help that, but this cannot continue long term. That’s why I’m hoping that this assessment does get done here pretty soon, so we can actually determine how to operate the jails,” Ugarte said.

County officials said the discussion on how to address the shortfall is expected next month.

The county budget and finance director said officials will know the final numbers after the fiscal year ends and then determine where the money will come from to cover the deficit.

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