Today Sheriff Oscar Ugarte appeared before the El Paso County Commissioners Court under agenda item 13B, “Budget and Finance.” His department is the only unit of the County that is overbudget and it is now $5,903,861.79 in the red for the 2026 fiscal year, which ends Wednesday.
Commissioner Jackie Butler of Precinct 1 raised eyebrows when she told the Sheriff: “We, the County Commissioners Court, does not have the option to not pay fer your staff, fer overtime, or fer the operating expenses that you incur. Uhm, it’s not like we can say ‘No, we’re not paying the bill this month.'” [sic]
Actually, the last we checked, the Commissioners Court has the power to control and slash the budget of any department in the County, including that of Sheriff Ugarte.
It is disconcerting to know that at least one of our County Commissioners apparently has no idea she can force departments to stay within budget.