The Jim Wells County Commissioners Court voted on Sept. 5 to approve a 5% across‑the‑board pay increase for full‑time county employees. Commissioners debated targeted alternatives — including higher increases for Road and Bridge personnel — before settling on a uniform 5% increase.

Why it matters: The raise affects county payroll as a recurring expense and was discussed in the context of other personnel requests, jail staffing needs and department‑level budget surpluses. Commissioners cited both the need to help lower‑paid operational staff (for example, road crews and maintenance workers) and the fiscal constraints of the general fund.

Discussion summary
- Supporters argued a 5% increase would help lower‑paid employees who perform physically demanding or hard‑to‑fill work, improve retention and put money back into the local economy. Several commissioners described road and bridge and maintenance workers as underpaid for the work and conditions they face.
- Opponents or cautious voices emphasized the county's limited budget, the recurring nature of salary increases and uneven pay scales among departments. One commissioner urged departments to find raises within their existing budgets where feasible and noted historical reductions in county staff and past budget cuts.
- A proposal to give Road and Bridge employees a larger, 7% (or 10% in some proposals) increase did not receive a second; the motion for a uniform 5% passed on a recorded voice vote.

Key implementation details
- Scope: The 5% increase applies to full‑time county employees included in the courthouse/commissioners' payroll calculations; it excludes state‑funded positions (juvenile/adult probation and certain grant‑funded employees) unless otherwise specified.
- Funding source discussion: Commissioners discussed using department‑level surpluses and one‑time funds to absorb this increase for the coming year. The judge and budget staff noted the county has historically produced annual surpluses in aggregate and that the court could treat the raise as a one‑year action tied to current budget capacity.

Outcome and next steps
- Approved: 5% across‑the‑board pay increase for full‑time county employees (motion carried). Budget staff (Cindy) will incorporate the change into the working adopted budget and produce updated documentation showing the approved pay action and its fiscal impact.

Attribution: Reporting in this article is based on statements made in the Sept. 5 Jim Wells County Commissioners Court budget workshop; direct quotes were not attributed in the transcript to a single named speaker on the final vote. Cindy, the county budget staff, provided the scope of affected employee categories in the discussion.