The overview
Though the commissioners only voted on a 3% COLA for elected county officials, they also discussed the broader compensation package for the 1,904 county employees that will be submitted during the 2025 budget proposal.
Williamson County Director of Human Resources Rebecca Clemens presented the proposed compensation package, which recommends a 3% COLA and a 3% merit-based increase for county employees, a 3% COLA increase for elected county officials and a 4% merit increase for small offices with four or less staff members.
According to county documents, the compensation package would also include new position funding of 8% over the minimum rate to attract talent and the annually funded tenure chart for law enforcement, while grant funded positions must have the funding available within the grant for increases.
Fiscal year 2024-25 recommendations were collected and reviewed during a salary study with county peers to compare compensation packages, Clemens said. Industry merit raises are not very common in public entities and governments, but Williamson County takes a hybrid approach to give managers a tool for merit retention and recruiting, Clemens said.
According to Clemens, the salary study reviewed 667 positions and 216 different classifications. The study identified 643 grade change positions and 234 title change positions.
If the commissioners court approves these recommendations it would increase the county’s 2024-25 budget by $1 million, Clemens said.
What else?
Judge Bill Gravel emphasized the need for awareness about inflation and the rising cost of living when it comes to evaluating compensation packages.
The compensation package recommendation is about a 6% increase, but, in relation to the current inflation seen in Texas, the average family has seen a $1,054 increase per month in expenses, Gravel said. He said the inflation county employees are going through is staggering and, because of this, it seems that the county is asking employees to go home with less.
Precinct Three County Commissioner Valerie Covey reminded the court that taxpayers ultimately foot the bill for these salary increases.
“The hard part of what [the county] does is that [the county] doesn’t make widgets and doesn’t have a profit. [Williamson County] is not a profit center, so every time the court increases a budget, folks pay that bill. [County officials] should be mindful of the folks that pay that bill,” Covey said.
Notable quote
“Williamson County is a half a billion dollar business and the most important resource that [the county] owns—it’s not the buildings, it’s not the roads—it's our people, and I think this court has done a fair and good job in caring for people,” Gravel said.
