What happened
On Dec. 10, Harris County Commissioners Court voted to increase the salaries of county employees making less than $75,000 annually by $2,500 more per year, according to Jan. 23 meeting documents. These increases are expected to be reflected beginning with employees’ Jan. 31 paycheck.
However, on Jan. 23, county leaders said they were later unsure whether Commissioner Court’s action applied to county employees paid through:
- Special revenue funds, including employees such as road and bridge crews
- Grants
Notable quotes
On Jan. 23, Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones expressed disappointment that employees—especially those working during Winter Storm Enzo, which brought freezing temperatures and snow to the Greater Houston area on Jan. 21—were excluded from the pay increase.
“Especially coming after this winter storm where our road and bridge crews were out literally 24 hours a day, the fact that we didn’t have enough time ... to tell them that there wasn’t clarity is very disappointing to me. ... I expect that this will not happen again, because it is the least paid who are doing so much, especially during this storm,” Briones said.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said the county did not live up to expectations set by the court on Dec. 10.
“We don’t know all the pots of money [that people get paid from, like grant funds],” Ramsey said. “What we voted on was everybody that makes less than $75,000, they get a $2,500 increase. Period. That’s what should have happened, and I don’t understand why that didn’t happen.”
What happens next?
County leaders said most employees initially excluded from the $2,500 annual pay increase can expect the pay bump to begin with their Feb. 14 paychecks. However, on Feb. 6, Commissioners Court is expected to discuss what to do about the money these employees missed for their Jan. 31 paychecks.
