When asked whether this should have been taken care of at the budget

hearing the week before when the 2012-2013 Budget was approved,

Commissioner Jose Luis Rosales wanted to clarify his justification for

voting in favor of the $8,000.00 increase to Rodriguez one week after

the approval of said budget.

"Frankly, I feel that in giving Mr. Rodriguez a wage increase of

$8,000.00, we are in all actuality saving the County tens of thousands

of dollars as he wears four different hats along with his job as R&B

Director," stated Rosales, "He also serves as ode Enforcement Officer,

County Inspector and Emergency Management Coordinator.  Each of these

positions alone would pay $38,000.00 each and we feel the amount given

to supplement his income is a small price to pay for the services he

provides the County."

Rosales provided The News Gram with copies of the budget which shows

that there are no funds available for these positions, therefore if

Rodriguez is fulfilling the job duties which come into play whenever

there's a nuisance in someone's property, illegal junkyards,

discharging of liquids, environmental issues, easements, dilapidated

buildings as Code Enforcement Officer or water and sewer inspection,

electrical meter inspection and the opening of new subdivisions as

Inspector, he is the designated contact person.

Rodriguez was even on hand when we received a call of a dead carcass

of a horse in the Balcones Heights subdivision, he was also called

upon to clean this up and dispose of it appropriately.

The budget calls for $250,000.00 to be allocated for Road & Bridge and

$145,000.00 for Operating supplies per precinct and Rosales  informed

The News Gram that the funds for this increase were in fact not taken

from each precinct's budget as previously reported, but from these accounts.