Understanding the County Pay Raise

Considering two commissioners used to work in communications (Commissioners Perez and Stout for those of you playing Commissioners Court - The Home Game), you would think they'd do a better job of explaining to the public the logic behind their new elected officials salary policy. The fact that Commissioner Haggerty and Commissioner Perez voted on same side and actually got a 3-2 majority (for a pay increase of all things) says a lot. 

Before we go any further, understand that the County PROBABLY is not gonna raise your taxes. So you most likely aren't paying more taxes for this raise specifically.

For years, the commissioners court and all other county elected officials like county court judges, Justices of the Peace, the District Clerk, County Clerk Tax Assessor, etc, viewed themselves like other county employees. 

Problem is they aren't. 

Regular county employees and department heads are on a step plan with pay grades. 

Elected officials aren't. 

Their salaries have to be set by commissioners court every year. (It's state law). But without a salary policy how in the hell do commissioners know if they're paying too much, too little or just right? 

For years, if county employees got a step increase and/or a cost of living adjustment, the commissioners court would grant elected officials the same, as if they were similar to county employees. Regular employees can max out their steps and not qualify for a step increase, even if the commissioners court approves one. 

Here's the really bad part - for elected officials, there is no cap. So, commissioners courts in the past would add the step and cost of living increases together and grant it to all elected officials, thinking they were being fair. But since there is no step plan or caps for electeds, it was a stupid practice that led to judges, and other county officials getting increases every year. 

So if you're mad a bloated salaries, there are plenty of electeds to be mad at who for years made a whole lot more than Commissioners and the County Judge. Commissioners courts were more concerned about their elections that they would exempt themselves or give themselves smaller increases that they would give county employees, mostly because they didn't have the balls to put up with complaints or media attention. 

Now this is REALLY gonna piss you off. Up until last year, District Clerk Norma Favela, County Clerk Delia Briones, and Tax Assessor Ruben Gonzalez all made more than the county judge! 

So you wanna be mad at someone, be mad at them for having the audacity to take that pay for years and get mad when it comes to light they have been getting paid more than the market (read over-paid)

Wrap your head around that. Those are glorified department heads...and they were making more than the freaking County Judge. Thats a perfect example of how bad the old policy was. You think for one second Norma Favela does anywhere near what the County Judge and Commissioners do? Do you think she has anywhere near as much responsibility? She basically makes sure papers are filed correctly. Important work, but nothing compared to the responsibilities of the court. 

Trust me, she ain't out until 2am or 4am in the valley in the pouring rain helping out with the flooding.

Justices of the peace (who marry and evict people, and deal with traffic tickets) had higher salaries than commissioners who oversee their budgets! It was a practice that made absolutely no sense.

For the first time that I can remember, this is the first time a commissioners court has tried to make sense if elected officials' salaries. They took the ten largest counties in Texas (four are smaller than El Paso), got the average salary for each elected position, and made it a policy to pay all elected in El Paso 30% less. By comparison, for regular employees, their salaries are near or at 100% of the ten largest counties. 

So what's happened? 

For two years in a row, while county employees got steps and cost of living increases, the majority of elected officials got ZERO. 

Why? 

Because after years of increases, most are above the new policy (and still are). Trust me, Favela was the main elected that was PISSED! 

While commissioners granted a 1.6% cost of living adjustment for all county employees, based on the new policy, salaries for elected officials in the Texas counties rose 1%. While commissioners could have taken the easy way out and punted for themselves they stuck to the policy. 

Unfortunately for them, the headlines will focus on their 1%. Which is entirely their fault because, well they suck at explaining things. 

With about three dozen other elected and appointed officials (most with significantly higher salaries), that got ZERO, I'm willing to guess the county saved well over a quarter million in salary increases under the new policy in the last two years. But commissioners court have been lousy in communicating that. 

Oh yeah, County Judge Escobar voted against the 1% increase (slow clap). She voted for the big increase for commissioners last time, but hey, she's running for congress now...