Brazoria County Approves Sheriff's Staffing Shake Up, Saving Mon

Brazoria County Approves Sheriff's Staffing Shake Up, Saving MoneyThe Brazoria County Sheriff's Office is reorganizing two of its divisions, a move expected to save taxpayers nearly $28,000. On Tuesday, county commissioners approved Sheriff Bo Stallman's plan to cut one position, change seven others and adjust pay grades to better fit the department's needs. The changes will save about $27,847 in salaries and benefits for the rest of fiscal year 2027. Stallman said the department reviews job duties whenever a position opens up, and he called the plan "a proactive approach" to staffing challenges in the communications division.A major part of the plan combines the crime analysis division with the communications division, since the two groups already work closely together. The communications director job will become a lieutenant-level role, and the training coordinator will become a communications operations manager, moving from pay grade 38 to 42. Three telecommunications operators will take on new roles. Two will become communications training operators, and one will become a terminal agency coordinator, with all three moving from pay grade 32 to 35. At the same time, the lead crime analyst position will drop from pay grade 39 to 36, and a civil deputy position will become a public affairs coordinator. Even though some workers will earn more, the county still expects to come out ahead overall.Commissioners also took a step toward dredging the mouth of the San Bernard River, where built-up sand and sediment have made it hard to keep the river open to the Gulf of Mexico. The court renewed a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit for the project, which would widen the river's opening to 200 feet and up to 850 feet where it meets the Gulf. Crews would pump out the sediment, place usable sand along the shoreline and dispose of the rest at approved sites. The county plans to pay for the work with federal grant money. Precinct 4 Commissioner David Linder thanked the group Friends of the River San Bernard for its long effort, saying the county is "almost there." No start date has been set.