EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso County Commissioners approved additional overtime funding for the Sheriff’s Office on Monday as the department’s budget shortfall for the last fiscal year has grown from $6 million earlier this month to $7.5 million.

During Monday’s commissioner meeting, county leaders approved moving about $8,500 in county money to the Sheriff’s Office to cover courthouse security overtime during elections, along with another $22,000 for medical expenses.

“The public safety budget is a significant amount in our budget, but we have to look at it from my standpoint and overall, and we are looking at it to determine where we’re actually going to transfer the money, whether it’s in our reserves or contingency. And that’s what we’re going to bring forward,” said Carmen Candelaria, the county’s director of budget and finance.

While that agenda item was approved, commissioners canceled another agenda item related to additional money the Sheriff’s Office requested for DWI enforcement and Red Sands operations.

The budget items come as the county continues working on how to address the Sheriff’s Office shortfall, as commissioners have already approved funding for a third-party assessment of the Sheriff’s Office finances,

Earlier this month, commissioners took the next step in bringing in an independent, outside review of the sheriff’s office by authorizing a request for proposals so outside agencies can submit bids to conduct the review.

Sheriff Oscar Ugarte previously said he supports the assessment and believes it will help document what the office needs.

“I’m grateful because they approved funding for an assessment, which is very important,” Ugarte said. “I believe that the assessment will show that the sheriff’s office is short-funded and short-staffed and hopefully from that we can develop a plan.”

The need to bring in a third-party assessment of the sheriff’s office finances comes as county estimates put the current shortfall at $7.6 million as of Oct. 14.

The sheriff’s office has pointed to staffing shortages and overtime, especially at the county jails, as causes of the deficit.

Earlier this year, commissioners approved a letter directing the sheriff’s office to stop authorizing any unbudgeted overtime.

If additional overtime is needed, it would have to be approved through a budget amendment showing where the funding would come from.

Candelaria said the budget will be discussed next on Nov. 30.

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