SROs to receive partial funding

By Matt Smith/msmith@trcle.com

August 12, 2008 05:37 pm

— The Johnson County Commissioners Court voted Monday to partially fund salaries for school resource officers in four school districts in the county. Under the agreement, Johnson County will pay 20 percent of the salaries for SROs used in the Alvarado, Godley, Joshua and Venus ISDs.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office provides the officers, who work on the campuses of the various schools. A grant that has since expired funded salaries for the officers for the first three years. Commissioners had expressed support for the program but questioned what portion of the salaries, if any, the county should pay.
Under the agreement, Sheriff Bob Alford can assign SRO officers to other duties when school is not in session. Any work SRO officers perform outside of normal school hours, such as at a football game or school dance, will be paid for by the affected school districts.
The four school districts individually must still approve the contracts.
Citing continued dry conditions, the commissioners left the burn ban in effect. The ban, which prohibits outdoor burning in unincorporated county areas, remains in place until Oct. 13 unless commissioners rescind it.
The Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 courtroom in Alvarado will soon receive a security scanner. Commissioners approved a request from Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Judge Pat Jacobs for the scanner.
Although Jacobs initially told commissioners the scanner would cost about $4,500, county officials located another supplier who will charge about $2,600. A building-security-fee charge, included in the cost of each citation paid, will cover the cost of the scanner, Jacobs said.
Commissioners also approved Camp Fire USA-Tesuya Council’s request to use the Guinn Justice Center for the Johnson County Teen Court Program. The program, which had been operated by Johnson County Juvenile Services for the last seven years, allows juveniles, in certain cases, to be judged by their peers. Justices of the peace refer cases to the teen court when they think it is appropriate.
The program, in which more than 2,500 Johnson County teens have participated, gives teens a way to volunteer and learn about the legal system, said Julie Roberts, a fundraiser and organizer for Camp Fire USA.
Jacobs remains heavily involved in the program, said Roberts, who also works as a fundraiser for the Lowell Smith Sr. History Center project in Cleburne. Grants that have already been secured will fund the program. Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Judge Ronny McBroom said he hopes to direct some of his truancy cases to the program.
Teen Court will convene the first Thursday of each month between September and May from 5-9 p.m. The court may move from Guinn to an adjacent building known as the old band hall, which is set to undergo renovation and be used as the new location for McBroom’s court.
Commissioners, along with former Johnson County Medical Examiner Dr. Arthur Raines, presented a plaque of recognition to Dr. Joanna Borkowski for her years of service as assistant health officer with the county M.E. office. Raines and Borkowski recently retired. Commissioners subsequently entered into a contract with Tarrant County to handle the county’s M.E. needs.