The compensation plan includes approximately $2.87 million in salary increases for police civil service employees as the city works to bring its pay closer to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and other nearby agencies.
Conroe City Council adopted a nearly $390 million operating budget Sept. 10 that includes police pay increases and continued funding for the city’s Flock Safety license plate readers.
The $389.9 million budget passed 4-2, with council members David Hairel and Shana Arthur voting against it. Council members John Sellars, Kristin Hoisington and Ken Blevins voted in favor alongside Mayor Duke Coon.
The budget, which covers the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, includes approximately $374.6 million in revenue and $389.9 million in expenditures.
Breaking down the budget
The compensation plan includes approximately $2.87 million in salary increases for police civil service employees as the city works to bring its pay closer to that of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and other nearby agencies.
The annual increases include approximately:
$13,137 for police officers
$16,711 for sergeants
$17,500 for lieutenants
$31,458 for captains
$32,000 for the police chief and deputy chiefs
The budget also includes about $1.1 million for the Police Department’s step-pay program and roughly $1.7 million for a 3.5% increase for other city employees, including firefighters.
During the Sept. 10 budget discussion, Hairel said payroll information showed 147 Police Department employees received W-2s in 2025. Of those, he said 93 earned at least $90,000 and 72 earned at least $100,000.
Mayor Duke Coon previously said the city could not wait another year to address police compensation.
“It’s time we stand up and address this head-on,” Coon said during a July budget workshop.
The city also maintained its property tax rate at $0.4272 per $100 of valuation. The estimated city tax bill for a median-value homestead is about $991, compared with approximately $994 during the previous year.
Council separately adopted a $184.3 million capital improvement budget for infrastructure and facility projects during the upcoming fiscal year.
Diving in deeper
The operating budget includes about $130,000 for the continued use of Flock Safety cameras, which photograph license plates and allow officers to search vehicle information during investigations.
Before adopting the budget, Hairel asked the council to pause the funding and further review the program’s policies and constitutional implications.
“This is not about whether Flock has been useful,” Hairel said.
Arthur also raised concerns about residents’ privacy and civil liberties. Hairel later said he could not support the overall budget while the Flock funding remained.
Conroe Police Chief Jon Buckholtz defended the cameras, telling the council the technology assists officers and investigators regularly.
“This is useful to us every day,” Buckholtz said.
Buckholtz said the city has used the cameras for about seven years and began its current five-year agreement on Sept. 11, 2024. He said he was unaware of any complaints involving Conroe officers misusing the system.
Buckholtz said the cameras recorded nearly 894,000 unique license plates during the previous 30 days, while officers searched the system 642 times.
“I think this is an effective tool,” Buckholtz said, adding that he would not support technology he believed was unconstitutional.
Council did not take a separate vote on the cameras. The funding remained in place through the approval of the operating budget.
