Elected officials will receive a pay increase for the 201415 fiscal year following a vote from the Williamson County Commissioners Court on July 1.

Commissioners voted for a 3 percent increase for county judge, commissioners, treasurer, sheriff and constables; a 4 percent increase for county clerk, district clerk, tax assessor and justices of the peace; and a $10,000 increase for county attorney.

Several officials spoke out in favor of increasing county employee salaries.

We need to be able to give our employees a level of quality that makes them want to stay, Nancy Rister, Williamson County clerk, said.

The concern that I have is not so much the total amount of money that we have because in a $140 million budget its a very small amount, its what we do with employees that will impact our budget, Commissioner Valerie Covey said.

Rister said a 5 percent increase for elected officials would be appropriate, and advocated in favor of continuing merit pay increases for employees.

Merit pay is awarded to employees based on performance, which Judge Dan Gattis said he anticipates continuingas part of the county's master plan,.

Our plan is that we were going to go to performance pay, and we were going to do that and we would fund that every year, he said. Weve done that [for] two years. We also took elected officials and department heads and hired them to be able to know their employees and balance that out.

He also said the biggest expense in the upcoming budget will be new positions, which Covey said, means more than additional salaries.

Its not just our salaries and benefits, its the vehicle they need and the extra license that they need to run this and that, Covey said. Its not just about that salary, its about the total cost of that person.

Precinct 4Constable Marty Ruble said his pay should match that of the justices of the peace.

My concern is that Ive got people Ive been grooming, but Ive got a sergeant just a few thousand under what I make, a lieutenant that makes more and a chief deputy that makes even more, Ruble said. Im worth at least what the [justices of the peace] is worth.

He said that someday he would like someone to fill his position who is right for the job, but he worries the low pay will not attract them.

Commissioner Ron Morrison made a motion to amend the proposed amount of 3 percent for constables to match the 4 percent for justices of the peace. The motion failed 4-1.

What youre saying is that you want more for the folks, and thats great, but what were saying is that we only have so many dollars to spend and it is all related, Covey said. By doing it piecemeal, we risk not having enough for the things we need.

Covey said the remainder of budget funds are allocated to different projects.

If we dont look at it as a total, were going to get in trouble because we want to keep adding people and we want to keep adding salaries and thats great, but in looking at the total bucket, if facilities doesnt have enough to go fix something when its broken thats a problem,

The 201415 fiscal year begins Oct. 1.