At their regular meeting on Monday, DeWitt County Commissioners limited the spending by Precinct 1 Constable Kelly Phelps, who will leave office on December 31, to 25% of the budgeted funds for that office.
“The local government code allows for adoption of spending limits for certain county and precinct officers who have not been re-elected,” Judge Daryl Fowler said. “A so-called lame duck official.”
Fowler said the order protects the next office holder from losing their whole budget in the first three months of the fiscal year, which is October through December. The policy previously adopted by the court sets the limit at 25% of the yearly budget for that office. Anything over that amount must be approved by the commissioner’s court. The court has issued similar court orders in previous years for lame-duck officials to protect the county expenditures.
