WASHINGTON COUNTY CONSTABLE PAY DISPUTE
A dispute over differing salaries for Washington County constables is threatening to spill over into the County’s budgeting process this week.
Washington County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Kramer is asking the Commissioners Court to make the salaries equal for all four of the county constables. Kramer says Precinct 2 Constable Carroll Butch Faske and his Deputy Constable are receiving more pay than the other three constables. Nelson Zibilski is the Constable for Precinct 3, and Ken Holle serves Precinct 1.
Washington County Justice of the Peace James McCune Jr. of Precinct 4 has written a letter to the Commissioners Court in support of Kramer’s position. Judge McCune says the normal protocol for elected officials is same salary and common expenses like office rent and mileage compensation. McCune says that is not the case for Washington County’s four constables.
County Judge John Brieden says the constables are paid based on the amount of work they do for the County. Brieden says Precinct 2 Constable Faske and the Deputy Constable William Shepherd do considerably more work, including serving many more warrants, than the other constables. As an example, Brieden says in the month of June Faske and Shepherd served 152 civil warrants. During that same period, he says Kramer served 3.
The Washington County Commissioners are in the middle of the budgeting process for the upcoming year, and Constable Kramer is presenting his budget to them this Friday.
Currently Kramer, Zibilski, Holle and Faske are each paid a $15,000 salary for their personal services. Shepherd, the civil warrant deputy assigned to Precinct 2, makes a salary of just under $44,000. Kramer says Faske’s salary is also supplemented by an $8000 office allowance for using his jewelry store as his office. None of the other constables are given an office allowance. There is also another line item in Faske’s budget titled “salary supplement” for an additional $10,113. Kramer is also requesting money for a vehicle for his position, and for proper equipment for the vehicle such as lights and radio. Currently only Precinct 2 has a $29,500 allowance for machinery and equipment.
The total current 2014 budgets for the four constable positions vary only slightly for Kramer, Zibilski and Holle. Kramer’s is the lowest at just under $24,000. Zibilski’s is the highest at just over $27,000. Holle’s is right at $24,500. The total budget for Faske and Shepherd is over $117,000.
Kramer will present his budget to the Commissioners Court this Friday.