Published: October 01, 2008 10:48 am      

Sheriff Bruner pleased with budget

DUNCAN — A new Stephens County sheriff will enter office the next business day after Jan. 1, 2009, with more than half a million dollar budget for fiscal year 2008-09.

This budget represents an increase of about $80,000 from fiscal year 2007-08 and was submitted to the Stephens County commissioners and Excise-Equalization Board by Sheriff Jimmie Bruner in June before the primary election.

On Sept. 16, the commissioners and board heard from Bruner during their annual county-wide budget meeting.

Bruner, who will end her term as Stephens County sheriff this year, said she was very happy with the final budget for her department.

“We’ve been blessed,” she said.

The reason Bruner increased the proposed budget was to increase the salary of the 11 field deputies so that they received the same amount as the other deputies who work in the courthouse, she said.

“I just wanted them to make enough so that they can feed their families,” Bruner said.

Originally, Bruner had suggested increasing the sheriff’s budget by more than $150,000, mostly to pay for new employees. But she decided to use her cash account to pay one of them, so the final amount decreased, she said.

Her cash fund account is not budgeted with the county and is composed of money collected from such things as sheriff’s housing, fees, and serving warrants and papers.

“We’ve been blessed to have such a surplus of funds,” Bruner said. “We try to do everything we can with what we have.”

Not only does the sheriff have a surplus of funds, but she also said that every major purchase, such as vehicles, are already paid for. Also, much of the funds used to purchase and install the new security equipment came from her reserves, she said.

“I think the commissioners understand where we come from,” Bruner said.

Although she is retiring at the end of this year, Bruner said she wants to continue to have a surplus of reserves for when the next sheriff takes over at the first of the year.

Her employees are paid through the “Personal Services” account, which amounts to just over $490,000 for this fiscal year.

Other accounts budgeted for fiscal year 2008-09:

n Travel: $7,200.

n Maintenance and operations: $12,500.

n Capital outlay: $5,000.

n Juvenile housing: $10,000.