The Hockley County Commissioners’ Court convened on Monday for a regular meeting, where they discussed and approved several requests and proposals from city entities.
Upon approving the minutes for the previous meeting, along with all monthly bills and claims submitted to the court, the commissioners were asked to consider authorizing the Hockley County Sheriff’s Office to use Senate Bill 22 (SB22) grant funds to give raises to members of its staff.
Established in 2025, SB22 established a grant program providing financial assistance to sheriff ’s departments, constable’s offices and district and county attorneys’ offices in eligible countries “to ensure professional law enforcement and legal representation of the people’s interests throughout the state,” according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts’ website.
Most notably, the law provides salary supplement grants for numerous positions in rural areas of Texas.
The Sheriff ’s Office requested to use the grants to give a 2% raise to Emilio Miranda and Troy Tillman and a 7% raise to Jared Dockery and Elsa Cavazos.
The commissioners approved this request on the grounds that the department had enough money to do so without issue.
Following this approval, the commissioners considered a proposal from Cadmus by Autonomy Today, LLC for use in the Hockley County Sheriff’s Office.
Cadmus is a public safety connection platform, and the request had been presented to the commissioners previously at a budget workshop. The court approved the request.
Commissioners also considered the possibility of authorizing the county attorney to use $20,000 of SB22 grant funds to supplement the salary for the hiring of an assistant county attorney. A county attorney’s office spokesperson explained they needed authorization from the court before putting out an offer or advertisements for the position.
The commissioners moved to allow the county attorney to use the funds.
In other business, the court approved Ad Valorem tax refunds on several properties, including a homestead owned by a disabled veteran. stating that it was necessary to “give these guys their money back.”
Ad Valorem tax refunds are issued to those individuals who paid property taxes but filed for and received property tax exemptions, therefore requiring reimbursements.
In the final action item on the agenda there was a discussion concerning the appointment of a person to fill the office of Constable, Precinct 4 due to an early departure by the previous constable. The appointment will become available on July 1, and the person filling the position will hold office until someone is appointed during elections.
Judge Sharla Baldridge opened the floor for the commissioners to ask questions regarding the qualifications of two potential candidates, Brian Garza and Brian Gordon, but suggested the item be tabled until she had more clarity on several legal points of the hiring process.
Each candidate attended the meeting and was briefly interviewed regarding their qualifications, motives and strengths.
Judge Baldridge explained that as a certified peace officer, Garza qualified for the position, but that she was unsure if Gordon qualified, since he has not yet gained that certification nor is he in possession of an associate's degree.
The court moved to table the issue after the discussion, and Baldridge asked both candidates to fill out the official application for the position online, after which the court adjourned.