After an hour and a half of continued debate regarding deputy pay, the Bastrop County Commissioners Court passed the budget for the 2019-2020 year during last Monday’s meeting. Since August, the court has been considering the next budget, a large part of which includes raises for county staff. This budget includes a $2,000 across-the-board raise for all county employees, as well as opportunities for merit pay stipends. For the past three sessions, however, the court has been debating the possibility of a step incentive program for all deputies in the sheriff’s office, proposed by Sheriff Maurice Cook. The step incentive program, which ...