By Kevin Krause
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
DALLAS — Dallas County commissioners said Tuesday they want to cut 10 sheriff warrant deputy positions and have 20 deputy constables attempt to pay for themselves by targeting ticket scofflaws who owe the county money.
When the 20 deputy constables can no longer generate enough revenue, those positions also will be cut, under the plan worked out in an afternoon budget session.
Commissioners are expected to vote next week on the proposal, which officials hope will save at least $2.8 million.
Because both sheriff’s deputies and deputy constables serve warrants in Dallas County, commissioners wanted to reduce that overlap to help chip away at a $33 million budget shortfall.
No sheriff’s deputies would be laid off under the plan, which would take effect Oct. 1, because the department is expected to be able to find 10 vacancies by September. But Sheriff Lupe Valdez told commissioners her agency has a difficult enough time serving warrants now, and she vowed to return with more data in an attempt to save the positions.
In recent years, the sheriff has given some of her felony and higher-level misdemeanor warrants to the constables to serve in order to share the load. Under this plan, the constables would go back to their traditional role of serving Class C misdemeanor warrants while the sheriff focuses on the rest.
The sheriff’s $11 million traffic unit also is at risk of being cut this year. Her $141 million budget is the largest of any county department.
“We’re behind as it is,” Valdez said after the meeting. “You’ve got to give us a chance to catch up.”
Commissioner Mike Cantrell, who came up with the warrant plan, said the sheriff is currently doing without 10 warrant positions because of vacancies and warrant deputies who are assigned to different tasks.
Cantrell said he thinks the four deputy constables from each precinct will be able to find people wanted for unpaid tickets and persuade enough of them to pay their fines.
He acknowledged that eventually the number of people who can pay their fines will decrease substantially. The question, he said, is whether that will be in six months or perhaps more than a year.
When that happens and the 20 deputy constable positions are cut, the county could use its Most Wanted website to continue to locate scofflaws, Cantrell said. He said he would like to partner with Crimestoppers to offer rewards to the public for turning in scofflaws, whose photos and information would be available online.
The constables have already lost their traffic units, which amounted to 80 positions. The cuts were made last year to balance the budget.
County officials say every cut they make this year will reduce the amount of employee layoffs or pay cuts that will be necessary to balance the budget.
Also Tuesday, the county’s new spokeswoman attended her first meeting.
Maria Arita, a former television journalist who worked for the local CBS affiliate, began her first day on the job Monday, less than two weeks after commissioners created the position. The new position costs $97,159 per year including benefits.
County Judge Clay Jenkins, who wanted the position, said Arita will give the community important information that may not make it into news reports. The county’s top administrator, Darryl Martin, who hired Arita, said she will also be a community liaison who will seek money from foundations and other private sources.
Copyright 2011 THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS