The Sheriff's $5.9M overrun: what happened
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office, under Sheriff Oscar Ugarte, closed FY2026 (Oct 1, 2025 through Sep 30, 2026) about $5.9M over its revised budget. Jail overtime and food costs drove the gap. Taxpayers covered it from contingency.
$5.9M
Over the revised budget, FY2026
Against a revised budget of roughly $142M. County budget office to Commissioners Court; El Paso Times, Sep 25, 2026
$8M
Mid-year budget bump, already spent
Other departments were told to cut. El Paso Times, Aug 11, 2026
$15.4M
Added to the Sheriff's FY2027 budget
Adopted FY2027 budget. El Paso Times, Oct 2, 2026
What happened
- Jail-staffing overtime drove the deficit. The department says it needs about 100 more detention officers.
- Rising inmate food costs added to the gap.
- The budget had already been bumped about $8M mid-year, while other departments were told to cut.
- The shortfall was covered from contingency funds.
What changed
- The FY2027 budget adds $15.4M to the Sheriff's Office.
- Commissioners must now pre-approve overtime for special operations.
Reported by County Budget Director Carmen Arrieta-Candelaria to Commissioners Court. Sources: El Paso Times, Aug 11, Sep 25, and Oct 2, 2026; KTSM.
Open questionsThe final audited deficit and whether a formal budget amendment passed are not yet confirmed. The deeper question: does $15.4M more fix the staffing math, or does the overtime cycle repeat?
Why it matters
Contingency money is taxpayer money set aside for the unexpected. A $5.9M draw on it for predictable jail overtime is a budgeting failure, not an emergency. The FY2027 budget answers it with $15.4M more. We will check whether that holds.