Bexar Commissioners Back Staff on the Veterans Treatment Court: No Full-Time Deputy Conversion, but an Added Case Manager and More Study

Bexar County Commissioners on Tuesday, Oct. 27, supported staff recommendations that declined a grant amendment to convert a Veterans Treatment Court law-enforcement position from part time to full time, according to the Citizen Portal record of the meeting read by the Local News Desk this cycle. The court did approve an additional case manager for the court and directed further study of specialty-court staffing.

The item reached commissioners on appeal: Judge Dominguez appealed a Grant Policy Committee decision, seeking permission to amend a Bureau of Justice Assistance grant so the grant-funded courtroom law-enforcement position could go full time. She told commissioners the court has had difficulty recruiting part-time deputies, and that the full-time position had previously been ratified and posted by the sheriff's office.

After what the record describes as a lengthy appeal, commissioners sided with staff — the conversion does not go forward — while the added case manager and the staffing study give the specialty court part of what it asked for. The Veterans Treatment Court is one of the county's specialty courts, and its staffing now goes to the further study commissioners directed.