[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6688569,"mediaKeyId","5590908-d8ec7cff733eebd4b3d40263189b5dec","parentId",5590908,"title","Salary grievance panel recommends county reconsider DA supplement after commissioners cut county portion","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",5676000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5590908-d8ec7cff733eebd4b3d40263189b5dec&start=5676&end=5676","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5590908-d8ec7cff733eebd4b3d40263189b5dec/thumbnail_5676000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6688569/Williamson-County/Texas/Salary-grievance-panel-recommends-county-reconsider-DA-supplement-after-commissioners-cut-county-portion","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6688569-a982b8d9c0f48d517a05762ceb99d709/orig.mp4?Expires=1770523326&Signature=bODu9dxisC22T3YvJDM2w4TI8EzIDRE3MKkjbmDTWEVLkoE3aEKEKrL69OUDvdgCA3QvrjZFhuDEVm2LU138DcwylZo85F5aSj2vBzEy9Po5FhJM6WQWKJQWit25qYKaQdFTNSdVlcUq8cnkrgtQrORaqJh6B9ItiHZ2UVq7Zi9JSSdLMwqt449lVuSZGvezfogUL6TRxBjg6jIXq1-cTHWmXdfVe2VvJePKdw0oES9UV63Khdwj7ssW9ikWSpxNWojLSr5SyL4RgsPSAEpWOOOmZzHo47O22g8z0NWQiKumMejbFLJz1SMWd9FUTAL2gIMtN-sw-EdGPbpg7ss3qA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Williamson","date","2025-08-15T00:00:00Z","article","A nine-member salary grievance committee voted 8–1 on Aug. 8 to recommend that the Williamson County Commissioners Court reconsider a reduction in the county supplement for District Attorney Sean Dix after Dix and several prosecutors said the commissioners cut the county portion without adequate notice and that the change alters how his total compensation is paid and how retirement and benefits are calculated.

The committee’s recommendation will be forwarded to the full commissioners court, which has final authority over county salary supplements and the budget. County staff and at least one commissioner said the action preserved Dix’s overall, total pay while shifting a portion of the cost to state-provided salary increases enacted by recent legislation.

Why it matters: District attorneys are state officials whose base pay is set by state law, but counties may add a county-funded supplement. That structure gives counties discretion to increase total pay above the state baseline. Dix told the panel the county’s action reduced the county-funded supplement by about $27,000; county staff said the net effect was to increase Dix’s total salary (state plus county) and to rely more on state funding.

What each side told the committee

District Attorney Sean Dix opened his presentation by describing the DA’s office as a hybrid role: “I am a state employee, but I’m also a county employee,” he said, and noted he supervises an office with more than 60 employees and a multi-million-dollar budget. Dix argued that the county’s decision to change the supplement was made without prior discussion and that county employees and prosecutors would be harmed if the county treated the DA’s compensation differently from other elected officials.

Prosecutors and staff attended and made public comments. Bridget Chapman, a prosecutor in the office, asked the committee to use the market median in the salary study to set the supplement and noted the supplement is “paid in addition to his base salary from the state.” Jamie Felicia, a board-certified criminal lawyer in the DA’s office, said unanimous support from the panel was needed to change the commissioners’ action and observed that a prior favorable committee recommendation in 2023 was not adopted by the commissioners. Mike Waldman, chief of the trial division, called Dix’s leadership “professionalism, experience and integrity” and urged the committee to restore the supplement.

County presentation and legal/technical points

Rebecca Clemons, the county manager, explained that recent legislation changed the state baseline for district judges and district attorneys and described a “clawback” interaction: if a county pays a supplement above specified thresholds, the state-adjusted baseline can be reduced by the state, changing the county/state split without materially increasing total pay. Clemons said that, under the adopted budget structure, Dix’s total salary will rise to about $235,000 on Oct. 1 and that reducing the county-funded portion by $27,000 would shift more of the cost burden to the state rather than reduce Dix’s total compensation.

Commissioner Cynthia Long said county law gives the commissioners court primary authority to set county budgets and supplements and urged the panel to consider the total pay package rather than only the county supplement number.

Panel action and next steps

The grievance committee voted 8–1 in favor of recommending that the commissioners court reconsider the county-funded supplement decision and review the district attorney’s total compensation in light of the county’s salary practices. Committee members asked for the panel’s recommendation to be forwarded to the commissioners court at its next meeting. County staff said the county had already used the state’s new pay tables to preserve Dix’s overall salary while reducing the county-funded portion in order to save local taxpayers approximately $27,000 in county-funded compensation (the state will pay more of the total). Dix and his supporters urged the committee to press the commissioners to restore or otherwise recognize market parity for the DA position.

Context and unresolved issues

The case turns on the interaction between state-set salaries for district attorneys and county supplements. County staff said the change preserved Dix’s total pay and shifted cost to state funding; Dix argued the change affects retirement contributions, benefit calculations and the county’s long-term valuation of the office. The committee’s recommendation is advisory; the commissioners court will decide whether to alter the budget or uphold its action.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Williamson - Salary Grievance Hearing","oneSentenceSummary","A citizen panel recommended that Williamson County's commissioners court reconsider a reduction in the county supplement for District Attorney Sean Dix, after the DA and staff argued the cut was made without prior notice and would shift pay from county supplement to state funding while affecting retirement and total compensation.","taxTitle","Williamson County, Texas","taxId",2724,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6688575,"Salary grievance panel recommends county review after constables say they were excluded from pay chart",4859,1054000,5913000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5590908-d8ec7cff733eebd4b3d40263189b5dec&start=1054&end=5913","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5590908-d8ec7cff733eebd4b3d40263189b5dec/thumbnail_1054000.jpg","/articles/6688575/Williamson-County/Texas/Salary-grievance-panel-recommends-county-review-after-constables-say-they-were-excluded-from-pay-chart","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6688575-231690bf4a9572a375eeee0ada6fccea/orig.mp4?Expires=1770523326&Signature=a3XOcPln9ULNSEBlqhZW-0Gkph81GLoKBMloshDRyeUUcPIZOYQ-eRsun6lEk5jH-327drDhbos5X0pK4y7qmGrOPYmO8WuoRM1yNBmRYZ7m0-lIF42NWjTytxH3x576YONkO69Uo2W1kFXiHuYXu6AWOQO18tNCVGsor7P3xSgrInzpNq2TO1DMycmjctN46IUiDDZCwK~RXNiYsQdHO8iThoR7LYJ~MA45LaPudfi~JuZoDBYP62eCWRq14VZVS2X2nGGmjXC74AMxzZyEXRCvW5JFso1M748RZo9v-MpDGYN1La46eC~Q1TdU126IRXfn2rV08EERWasizUD-2Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A nine-member salary grievance committee on Aug. 8 recommended that the Williamson County Commissioners Court consider raising pay for three elected constables after the officers and several public speakers said the constables had been excluded from the county’s law-enforcement pay chart, producing a pay gap in which some subordinate officers earn more than their elected chiefs.

The recommendation follows public comments from residents and business owners and presentations by the three constables — Paul Leal (Constable, Precinct 4), Kevin Wilkie (Constable, Precinct 3) and Jeff Anderson (Constable, Precinct 2) — who asked the committee to direct the commissioners court to raise each constable’s salary above their highest-paid deputy. The committee’s votes on the three separate grievances were 6–3, 7–2 and 7–2 in favor of recommending adjustments; the recommendations will be forwarded to the commissioners court, which makes final budget and salary decisions.

Why it matters: The constables said the county’s “L-chart” for law-enforcement pay created large disparities because deputies and sergeants on that chart received scheduled steps and increases while the elected constables were left on a separate pay schedule. Public speakers and the constables said the gap undermines leadership, risks retention and treats elected law officers differently despite their continuing law-enforcement duties.

Leaders, public comment and staff response

Lee Bingham, a Georgetown business owner, told the panel: “These guys are worth their money in gold. They need to be on the scale.” Keith Hagler, a Taylor business owner, said: “They’re elected officials, but they’re also law officers and they also carry badges and they carry guns and they’re… at risk every day.” Both urged the committee to correct what they called an oversight when the L-chart was adopted.

Constable Paul Leal summarized the officers’ position, telling the panel: “We are licensed peace officers. We all hold a master peace officer’s license.” He said constables assume hiring, firing and personal liability for civil writs and asked the committee to recommend a modest adjustment “to pay us 2% above our chief deputy.” Constable Kevin Wilkie described the office as a “24-hour job” and asked the committee to consider parity with the deputies. Constable Jeff Anderson cited his 37 years in law enforcement and asked for recognition of the constables’ dual role as elected officials and police leaders.

County staff and an elected commissioner described the county’s pay-setting process and the reasons for the current charts. Rebecca Clemons, the county manager, said the county used a peer group of eight counties to set elected-official pay and that law-enforcement employees are set under a separate L-chart that uses local city markets to retain deputies. “We take the median of those salaries,” Clemons said of the peer comparison process, and she noted the county adopted a three-year cycle to review salaries with employees reviewed before elected officials. Commissioner Cynthia Long emphasized that the commissioner's court — not the grievance committee — has sole authority to set the budget and salaries and urged the committee to weigh the county’s established review schedule.

Panel action and next steps

The committee’s role is advisory. For each of the three constable grievances the committee recorded a recommendation to the commissioners court (agenda item 1: Precinct 4 — recommendation 6–3; agenda item 2: Precinct 3 — recommendation 7–2; agenda item 3: Precinct 2 — recommendation 7–2). The committee will send formal letters to the commissioners court asking that each grievance be considered during final budget deliberations.

County staff estimated the immediate additional annual cost to county taxpayers for the three constables’ requested increases at about $105,000; the county’s recommendation was to approve a 2% increase already in the proposed budget in lieu of the larger adjustments the constables requested. The commissioners court will make the final decision at its regular meeting.

Context and unresolved issues

The dispute centers on a policy choice made earlier this year to target retention of rank-and-file deputies by benchmarking the L-chart to surrounding cities. That change increased pay for deputies and chief deputies and, county staff said, unintentionally widened the gap between those employees and some elected constables. County staff told the committee the constables’ offices will be included in next year’s cycle of elected-official salary reviews. The constables contend a delay would continue the current compression and asked the panel to press the commissioners court for action sooner.

The committee’s recommendation does not itself change pay. Final authority rests with the Williamson County Commissioners Court.","A Williamson County salary grievance committee voted to recommend that the commissioners court consider higher pay for three county constables after the officers and public speakers said the elected constables were excluded from a law-enforcement pay chart, producing pay compression where subordinates earn more than chiefs.","actionData","errors"]

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Salary grievance panel recommends county reconsider DA supplement after commissioners cut county portion

Salary grievance panel recommends county review after constables say they were excluded from pay chart