Hunt County constables seek pay raises, extra deputies and propose $25 civil-fee hike to cover costs

Constables from multiple precincts asked Hunt County commissioners on July 6 to approve new staff and higher pay to handle a growing workload and to consider increasing civil-process fees to help fund those changes.

"With the projected growth, precinct one should benefit from adding at least one to two new deputy constables," Constable Richie Venuela said during a budget presentation. He argued that population and case volume increases have strained his office and that pay for constables and deputies lags neighboring counties. "I'm requesting that we increase this rate for the constables to 84,241 to be competitive with Rock Wall and Hopkins County," he told the court.

Matthew (Matt) Reagan, presenting a packet for the group of constables, outlined revenue modeling behind a proposed fee change. He said raising the civil-process citation fee from $75 to $100 — a $25 increase — and modest adjustments to other line items would generate additional income. "Additional revenue with a $25 increase on citations will be between all four of us. It'll be on the very low end, $90,200," Reagan said, adding the estimate is conservative and does not include some other types of process service.

The constables also asked for certification pay (proposed $1,800 annually per qualifying officer), alignment of deputy constable starting pay with the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office ($66,985 cited as the sheriff starting pay), and a 10% cost-of-living adjustment in some proposals. Reagan and others argued converting an outgoing clerk role into a commissioned deputy could both raise service capacity and improve officer safety and scheduling flexibility — for example extending weekday coverage into Saturdays.

Commissioners asked operational questions about continuity and customer service if a higher-paid deputy frequently leaves the office to serve papers or attend court. "We're going to pay more for somebody that can do the full scope of the job," Reagan replied, arguing the trade-off reduces public-safety risk and improves service continuity because everyone would be cross-trained.

The court also discussed alternatives such as increased use of part-time staff, reserve officers or staggered schedules; constables said reserves have been unreliable and that hiring dependable part-time certified staff is difficult in the current labor market. Several commissioners emphasized budget constraints — the tax base showed little growth this year — and signaled they would weigh revenue projections against county-wide fairness in pay adjustments.

No formal action was taken on the constables’ requests during the session; commissioners scheduled additional budget work sessions to review proposals before final decisions.

The court is expected to take up additional budget sessions on July 16 to continue deliberations.