AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office is adjusting to rapid population growth in Bexar County, meeting challenges such as accommodating jail population growth, managing personnel growth, and answering public demands for more accountable law enforcement.
Current statute, enacted in 1980, limits to 10 the total number of exempt
positions the sheriff can appoint. Since 1980, the Bexar County population has
increased 73 percent, from 988,800 to 1,714,773. The total number of sheriff's
office personnel has increased from 675 to 1,777. The increase in population
and sheriff's office personnel necessitate that the sheriff have access to
additional exempt positions to meet a growing number of needs throughout the
organization.
S.B. 1253 is bracketed to allow the Bexar County sheriff to appoint two additional positions, for a total of 12 positions, as exempt from the civil service system. These additional changes will allow the Sheriff's office to continue its legacy of service and dedication to Bexar County in an effective manner.
As proposed, S.B. 1253 amends current law relating to positions that are exempt from a sheriff's department civil service system in certain counties.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 158.038, Local Government Code, by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1), as follows:
(b) Authorizes the sheriff of a county with a population of 3.3 million or less to which Subsection (b-1) does not apply to designate as exempt from the civil service system certain positions.
(b-1) Authorizes the sheriff of a county with a population of more than 1.5 million in which more than 75 percent of the population lives in a single municipality to designate a total of 12 or fewer positions in the sheriff's department as exempt from the civil service system, including:
(1) the position of chief deputy;
(2) four or fewer positions of major deputy; and
(3) one or more positions in the office of departmental legal counsel.
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2011.