Buda officials are going ahead with plans to replace their dedicated patrol from the Hays County Sheriff’s Office with their own police force. The city already has tabbed Bo Kidd to run the department after Hays County Sheriff Tommy Ratliff demoted him from leadership of the county’s Buda patrol last summer.
Hays County Sheriff Tommy Ratliff has promoted veteran officer Ronnie Strain to Lieutenant of Patrol. Strain has 12 years with the Hays County Sheriff’s Office.
Hays County Sheriff Tommy Ratliff kept his losses low in Buda and was marginally favored across the county, winning the Democratic nomination to fill the rest of the term left unexpired when the late Sheriff Allen Bridges died in December 2008.
The cost of incarcerating criminals keeps rising for Hays County. Not only has the county already blown its 2010 budget for holding prisoners out of county, but repairs to the Hays County Jail are running about $200,000 higher than anticipated.
Challenger Bill Huddleston came out firing against Hays County Sheriff Tommy Ratliff in the San Marcos Area League of Women Voters debate last week. Huddleston and Ratliff are competing in the March 2 primary election for the Democratic nomination.
Candidates for contested Hays County offices in the March primary will participate in the San Marcos Area League of Women Voters Candidates Debate Thursday at the San Marcos Activity Center (7 p.m.).
Hays County officials received a nod of approval Thursday from the State of Texas for trying to bring the county jail into compliance with state law. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards found the Hays County Jail kitchen to be deficient on four consecutive occasions last year.
The Hays County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) held retirement ceremony last week for Deputy Alvin Eugene (Gene) Pittman, who is leaving for force after almost 17 years. Ceremonies were held at Barton and Wallace Middle Schools, where he served as a school resource officer for the last eight years of his career.
Hays County’s governing body resumed course towards up to $74 million in capital improvements and bond sales after dropping anchor briefly last week to check for dark economic clouds on the horizon.
Amidst news of a projected tax increase next fiscal year and fears of a decline in county-wide property appraisals, Hays County Commissioners talked this week about slowing their dash towards massive capital improvement expenditures planned for the near future. As commissioners wait on more precise revenue projections for the coming year, projects on the drawing board could wait in limbo, including a $73 million government center, a $50-60 million jail, $48 million in road work and $10 million in parks and open space allocations.
