SAN ANTONIO -- State District and County Court judges voted Friday to approve a $16 million budget for the Bexar County Adult Probation Department.

County Court at Law Judge Michael Mery told fellow jurists that, “I could support a budget that does not fire anybody and doesn’t impose furloughs on anybody.”

The judges voted unanimously to approve Mery’s motion with one omission. The new budget will not fund testing done by Treatment Associates, a lab that has come under fire for returning possible false positive drug test results.

Sheri Simonelli, president of the Central Texas Association of Public Employees said, “We’re happy that there were no layoffs and no furloughs. That’s what makes us happy today.”

She said she is disappointed that no action was taken by the judges concerning the employment of Chief Adult Probation Officer Bill Fitzgerald. He has been strongly criticized by the union for forcing department employees to reapply for their jobs and for disarming probation officers. Earlier this week, the majority of County Court at Law judges voted to terminate Fitzgerald, but district judges must sign off on the County Court judges' decision before Fitzgerald can be terminated.