The Selma Times-Journal

Rising gas prices and other issues have members of the Dallas County Commission concerned about the way their employees do their jobs.

The high cost of fuel stood among one of the issues raised when District 2 Commissioner Roy Moore voiced concerns about the budget getting out of hand.

The commission has had dialogue about scaling back, Moore said. With the beginning of the new fiscal year looming Oct. 1, it is now time to get serious.

The county engineering department&8217;s road crews get so bound up in minor tasks, such as grating roads, they have neither the time nor the resources to complete major jobs, said Probate Judge Kim Ballard.

Ballard and Moore talked about ways to curb the same problems in the future, although they said they believe the budget will hold steady through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

The new juvenile detention center annexed onto the Dallas County jail provides a partial solution to that problem. The county will save about $300,000 now spent transporting juvenile delinquents to centers around the state.

A high garbage expenditure that benefits only a small section of residents also remains a sore spot for the commission.

Ballard suggested scheduling a work session next week to address the issues.