County auditor denies new transport funding request after constable cites long‑distance arrests

A contentious exchange over prisoner transport funding marked the June 12 Jim Wells County Commissioners Court. Constable Jim Long told the court he has transported inmates from Odessa, Giddings and other counties and sought a new line item of $45,500 to cover transport expenses. "I'm running about 44,000 miles a year on my vehicle," Long said, explaining his concern that the current travel allowance does not cover extensive out‑of‑county transport costs.

County Auditor Cindy Garcia testified the auditor must deny additional reimbursement requests because each constable already receives an annual travel allowance within the approved budget to cover travel‑related expenses, including fuel. "Because these travel expenses are already budgeted and allocated, additional reimbursement for fuel cannot be processed separately," Garcia said.

Commissioners questioned whether sheriff or other agencies had a duty to transport detainees from other jurisdictions and debated legal responsibility and budget norms. Some commissioners noted precedent: other constables typically do not undertake long‑distance inmate retrievals and the sheriff’s office maintains a transport van. The court moved and voted to deny the funding request and instructed staff to treat any future supplemental funding as a budget matter for the next budget cycle.

Why it matters: The dispute highlights gaps between operational expectations and budget design for county law enforcement roles. Long‑distance inmate transport can affect custody, bond conditions and prosecutorial outcomes when detainees are not timely returned on county warrants.

What’s next: Commissioners directed the issue to be handled through standard budget cycles; the auditor said a different appropriation could be pursued during budget hearings rather than by mid‑year adjustment.