SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County leaders on Tuesday decided to allocate an additional $2.7 million to cover overtime at the local jail, fulfilling a request made by Sheriff Javier Salazar.
The money approved by county commissioners is good for more than 67,000 of paid overtime, and covers shifts from March 5 to May 20 of this year. Money to pay for about 60,000 hours of overtime for a similar duration toward the end of 2021 was previously approved in October.
According to official documents, the Bexar County jail was "averaging approximately 4,200 inmates per day" as of March, up from about 3,750 at the start of 2021. Salazar said lingering pandemic effects, staffing problems and low recruiting have exacerbated overtime issues at the adult detention facility.
“Where we get our law enforcement folks, for the most part, is from the jail," Salazar told the commissioners court Tuesday. "So every time we start a new law enforcement class of deputies, we’re going to be depleting the force at the jail even more so—which just adds to the problem.”
Based on the current rate, the agency's overtime budget could be depleted by the end of May. It's projected the Bexar County Sheriff's Office could go $5 million overbudget for this fiscal year, which ends in September.