Kerr County approves Sheriff’s raise, details flood recovery efforts

Kerr County commissioners unanimously approved a $32,269 salary increase for Sheriff Larry Leitha on Monday while receiving sobering updates about recovery from the July 4 flood that killed 107 people and caused more than $200 million in property damage.

Leitha, appearing somber and focused after leading response efforts during the disaster, requested the 25% salary increase as part of a $283,000 package that includes promotions, equipment and a new deputy position. The funding will come from Senate Bill 22 money, which the sheriff characterized as “not taxpayer money.”

County Judge Rob Kelly told Leitha he was initially opposed to the request but warned that reallocating SB22 funds would force the county to cover deputy salary increases from its general fund.

“That is definitely going to be Kerr County taxpayer dollars paying the raise that you said that you would use your SB22 funds for,” Kelly said.

Commissioners praised Leitha’s contributions, with Precinct 4 Commissioner Don Harris saying, “You have taken this sheriff’s office to a different level.” The sheriff has brought in more than $9.162 million through grants, donations and out-of-county inmate housing.

Flood Called ‘Inland Tsunami’

County Engineer Charlie Hastings delivered an emotional briefing on the unprecedented disaster, describing it as an “inland tsunami” that no one alive had witnessed before.

“Everybody wants to blame this on somebody. I’m telling you, there’s no escaping this one,” Hastings said. “We can tell you what happened. But we couldn’t have predicted this.”

Water flow surged from 53 gallons per second at midnight to 125,000 gallons per second within hours, with preliminary models estimating peak flows reached 950,000 gallons per second. The limestone terrain created a “giant funnel” effect that generated more debris than Hurricane Harvey produced in Rockport.

Hastings’ engineering team swelled from two people to 2,602 within days, supported by 20,000 volunteers. Their hydraulic modeling helped reduce missing persons to just three individuals remaining.

Financial Caution Prevails

Tax Assessor/Collector Bob Reeves estimated property values dropped by more than $200 million countywide, though the specific revenue impact remains unclear. The county projects $17 million in reserves for disaster recovery.

With flood recovery consuming county resources, commissioners unanimously rejected placing a 2% venue tax for the Hill Country Youth Event Center on the November ballot. Kelly dismissed “flat-out lies” about an 8% tax increase, emphasizing officials are pursuing the no-new-revenue rate.

Commissioners postponed employee wage adjustments, calling them “premature” given financial uncertainty. They waived floodplain permit fees for flood victims and approved temporary property tax exemptions with an Oct. 18 deadline.

The state has assumed debris removal responsibilities, relieving the county of significant costs. Two incinerator sites will burn 300-400 tons of debris daily over six to eight months.

A town hall meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Ingram Tom Moore High School auditorium to help residents understand rebuilding efforts. Commissioners scheduled a budget workshop for Aug. 4 to address fiscal planning amid ongoing recovery efforts.