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During today’s County Commissioners Court meeting under Budget and Finance item 12A, the five-member court discussed whether to increase the salaries of County employees up to 4.0%, effective January 3, 2027.
Judge Samaniego, who is running for reelection in November, made a motion to exclude the Commissioners Court from the salary increase in order to show leadership during a time of budget cuts.
At that point, Commissioners Stout and Coronado, who both lost their Democratic primaries and are now lame ducks, angrily complained that they should get raises just like everyone else.
Stout voted for all five salary increases since assuming office in January 2015, such that his pay increase from $62,680 to $133,467, an increase of 113%. When Commissioner Holguin stated her support for Samaniego’s motion, Stout sneered at her and accused her of being “performative.”
Coronado assumed office in January 2023 and voted for a salary increase only seven months later. He went on and on, whining like a child, about how all government employees should receive raises simultaneously and no one should be excluded.
The vote was 3-2 in favor of excluding the Commissioners Court from receiving raises.
We think it is truly amazing that Stout and Coronado voted against salary increases for thousands of County employees because they were denied a salary increase of $5,338!
You cannot make this stuff up!
Thus, in 2027 the Judge will be paid his current salary of $152,725 rather than $158,834 and the four Commissioners will be paid $133,467 rather than $138,805, with taxpayers saving a total of $27,464.
Meanwhile, the salary of the County Attorney will rise to $235,596 and that of the County Sheriff to $207,223.
The public will soon face a major increase in the County property tax.
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