Harris County commissioners will meet Sept. 9 with several agenda items addressing the fiscal year 2025-26 budget and elected officials’ salaries before the scheduled Sept. 18 budget vote and adoption.
The background
Commissioners and department leaders have spent the last eight-plus months weighing how to offset at least $102 million in cuts and other savings surrounding the projected $2.95 billion FY 2025-26 budget. Factors impacting county department cuts in the budget process, according to the proposed budget document, included jail costs, indigent defense costs, health care costs and law enforcement contracts.
The context
In late August, Budget Director Daniel Ramos laid out the framework for how the county will implement a yearlong hiring freeze to save at least $25 million in cuts. Ramos said the engineering office, information technology services and public health departments would be most impacted.
The potential service cuts and rollbacks come in the same year commissioners approved several pay parity items, such as law enforcement pay and a countywide employee minimum wage increase.
Items worth mentioning
A proposed $114,290 annual salary bump for Harris County’s eight elected constables died at Harris County Commissioners Court on Aug. 26. Harris County commissioners considered a proposed 64% salary increase for the county’s eight elected constables, which would raise their annual salary to $292,796. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey has a discussion item slated for constable pay.
The county clerk and administration offices will request a discussion as part of a Texas law that allows for the creation of a salary grievance committee for elected officials. Several elected officials went to Commissioners Court seeking higher pay in August, including judges within the county’s district courts and the county’s eight elected constables.
Under the 1987 Texas law, Sec. 152, which oversees compensation for elected county officers or employees, counties can select members of the salary committee composed of nine voting members and the following county officials:
- Judge
- Sheriff
- Tax Assessor-Collector
- Treasurer
- Clerk
- District Clerk
- Attorney or criminal district attorney
- According to the law, the county judge is the chairman of the salary grievance committee but does not vote. The nine public members serve on the committee until the end of the appointed fiscal year or the time the committee takes a final vote on the last of the grievances.
What residents should know
Harris County Commissioners Court meetings are held at 10 a.m. in Downtown Houston at 1001 Preston St., Houston. Meetings are also available to livestream here.
