The Harris County salary grievance committee recommended a 30% raise for the county treasurer in a 6-3 vote Aug. 20.
What happened
County Treasurer Carla Wyatt made an appeal to the nine-member committee, asking for a 118% salary increase to bring her in line with the income of the county’s other elected officials. The committee did not meet Wyatt’s request, instead recommending a 30% pay bump to $181,411. Wyatt made a salary of $139,547 last year, according to the 2026 adopted budget.
Commissioners Court recently approved raises for the county’s eight elected constables, district attorney, county attorney, district clerk, county clerk and tax assessor-collector. These officials will earn $305,000 annually, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
Wyatt said she increased her request, which was originally for a salary of $250,000, to match that of her colleagues. She also claimed it was disrespectful to not include her position in the wave of raises.
“Pay equity does not mean every position must receive the same salary,” Wyatt said. “It simply means that there’s different compensations for different reasons that have to be legitimate, understandable, consistent and respectful of the job that’s being done here in Harris County.”
The context
The county’s Office of Management and Budget Director Daniel Ramos said the court’s decision to not include the treasurer in the salary increases was a “reflection of the consistent court action that has been done to reduce the responsibilities of that office.”
Earlier this year, the court shifted some fiscal responsibilities from the treasurer’s office to OMB, working toward its goal to “ultimately eliminate” the office, Ramos said.
In January, the county will seek legislative approval to cut the office.
Francis Nugent, deputy director of the county’s Office of Intergovernmental and Global Affairs, said eliminating the office would follow suit with some of Texas’ other large counties, including:
- Bear
- Collin
- El Paso
- Galveston
- Tarrant
To eliminate the office, two-thirds of the state House and Senate will have to approve during next year’s legislative session, Nugent said. The decision would then fall to voters as a state proposition in November 2027, he said.
Also of note
Wyatt’s request comes as the county is facing a $181 million shortfall.
If the court approves the committee’s 30% raise recommendation, that could add to the shortfall. The court will take the recommendation under advisement at its next meeting, though it is not obligated to approve the raise.
With the new fiscal year starting Oct. 1, OMB and the court will work to finalize the budget and mitigate the projected shortfall. The court is expected to set the tax rate at its Sept. 8 meeting and adopt the new budget Sept. 17.
Court meetings are held at 9 a.m. in Downtown Houston. The administration building is located at 1001 Preston St., Houston. Meetings are also available to livestream here.
