El Paso County elected officials – excluding the Commissioners Court – are likely to see a 4% pay raise starting in January if approved as part of the 2027 budget in the coming weeks.
The County Commissioners Court on Monday first narrowly approved a motion by County Judge Ricardo Samaniego to remove themselves from the proposed 4% cost of living adjustment, or COLA.
RELATED: El Paso County’s preliminary budget boosts pay, raises taxes
Samaniego and Commissioners Illiana Holguin and Jackie Butler voted to remove the court from the proposed pay raises that other elected officials and non-uniform county employees are likely to receive, while Commissioners David Stout and Sergio Coronado voted not to exclude the court from the pay raises.
Stout and Coronado, who lost their reelection bids in the March 3 Democratic primary, will only serve through Dec. 31. Samaniego, also a Democrat, faces Republican challenger Minerva Torres Shelton in the Nov. 3 midterms.
Stout accused Holguin, who regularly votes against pay raises and tax increases, of being “performative” in her stance.
“If anybody who is really serious about doing something that’s going to affect the tax rate or save taxpayer money, then make a proposal to lower (our salary) back down to $60,000 where where it was back when I started, and let’s stop being performative in our proposals,” Stout said.
Holguin took issue with the characterization.
“It’s not being performative, commissioner (Stout). It’s trying to take whatever steps that we can – I mean, this is a decision that we are able to make today. That’s something that we can do today to show the residents of El Paso County that we really are serious when it comes to trying to cut everywhere that we can,” Holguin said.
Removing the Commissioners Court pay raises would have an impact of about $27,400 a year on the county budget, said Carmen Arrieta-Candelaria, the county budget director.
“Yeah, that’s going to go a long ways to helping us with our minimum wage issue, or any other (issue), for that matter. I just think we need to treat everybody fairly – that includes all elected officials … it’s not because I’m sitting up here, but I think it’s (because) I’ve always been about treating every employee fairly,” Coronado said.
Coronado said if the Commissioners Court continues to forgo pay raises they may increase them by a large percentage in the future to make up for having deferred them.
“I just think it’s counterproductive and it becomes a problem,” Coronado said.
The last pay raise the Commissioners Court approved for themselves and elected officials was a controversial 16% increase for the 2024 fiscal year. Commissioners Court has not approved pay raises for themselves or other county employees in the last two fiscal years.
Here are the key things to know about why the Commissioners Court is able to give themselves pay raises, and what the 4% increase will mean for the elected offices.
Which county elected officials would qualify for the proposed pay raise?
The sheriff, constables, county attorney, tax assessor collector, county clerk, district clerk and all justices of the peace would qualify. Salaries for those positions will remain the same.
What would a 4% pay raise mean for county elected officials’ annual salaries?
- County judge: remain at $152,725
- County Commissioners: remain at $133,467
- Constables: increase to $111,418
- County attorney: increase to $235,595
- County clerk and district clerk: increase to $138,895
- Justice of the peace: increase to $119,122
- County sheriff: increase to $207,232
- County tax assessor collector: increase to $138,805
The County Commissioners Court didn’t address the district attorney’s salary, which is calculated under state statute and primarily funded by the state, with the county contributing a portion of it. The DA currently makes at least $175,000 a year.
Why does the Commissioners Court set salaries for themselves and other county elected officials?
State law requires the Commissioners Court to set salaries, expenses and allowances for elected county and precinct officers during their regular budget process.
How does the salary structure differ between County Commissioners and the El Paso City Council?
El Paso City Council members will receive a 15% pay raise for the 2027 fiscal year.
The City Charter, the governing document of the city, sets salaries for the mayor and city representatives.
Voters in 2018 approved a City Charter amendment that required that salaries for city representatives align with the El Paso County area median household income as established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, while the mayor’s salary was to be one-and-one-half that amount.
The mayor will be paid $109,200 a year and city representatives will be paid $72,800 a year starting Sept. 1.
Does the County Commissioners Court have to ask voters for approval for a pay raise?
No. State law gives the Commissioners Court authority to set salaries for county and precinct elected officials as part of the county’s budget process, so the proposed pay raises do not require voter approval.
Voters could be asked to approve a property tax rate if the county adopts a rate that triggers an election under state law. In that case, voters would be deciding whether to approve the tax rate, not the elected officials’ pay raises themselves.
Do county elected officials have a say in their pay raises?
Yes. The court has to give elected officials a written notice of the proposed pay raises. The impacted elected officials can then file a grievance with the county judge’s office within five days of receiving the written notice. If grievances are filed, the county has 10 days to hold a public hearing.
When will County Commissioners vote on the potential pay raises?
The County Commissioners on Monday voted to initially approve the pay raises.
A budget hearing and meeting to discuss pay raises is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday. The county now has to notify elected officials of their proposed salaries by Aug. 14. Elected officials have until Aug. 19 to file a grievance. County Commissioners will vote to adopt the final budget, including the proposed pay raises, in September.
The post Most El Paso County elected officials poised for 4% raise; commissioners narrowly opt out appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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