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Travis County moves to raise engineering pay grades as recruiting stalls, pauses other mid‑year market raises
Summary
Commissioners approved moving Transportation & Natural Resources engineering classifications up one pay grade and paused other mid‑year market pay adjustments so HR can complete a countywide market salary study; funding will draw partly on TNR vacancy savings and county compensation reserves.
The Commissioners Court on April 29 approved moving TNR engineering job classifications up one pay grade and applying salary increases to incumbents to address a high vacancy rate that TNR officials said is slowing permitting, capital delivery and development services.
Cynthia McDonald, County Executive for Transportation and Natural Resources, told the court TNR has 7 engineering and 4 senior engineering vacancies and a 53% vacancy rate among engineering classifications; some roles have been open since October 2023. TNR reported it is hiring above midpoint (average entry at 105% of midpoint) and that market salary comparisons show average market pay is roughly $10,553 above the county midpoint for engineers and about $16,000 higher for senior engineers.
The court approved the change with financial details presented by TNR and the Budget Office. TNR estimated the total cost to promote the affected positions 1 pay grade would be $258,966 annually; the department identified $103,776 within its budget and requested the court fund $115,599 the court approved drawing from compensation reserves and the Road & Bridge fund. Budget Office staff advised the court to avoid additional ad‑hoc mid‑year market adjustments while HR completes a countywide market salary study and to provide a timeline for that study to the court.
Commissioners also directed HR to present a timeline for the countywide market survey and to propose a dispute resolution process for departments that disagree with study results. The court voted unanimously to approve TNR’s request and added a motion pausing further mid‑year market adjustments (with the EMS and TNR items excepted) so the county can focus on final market compensation recommendations for FY2026. Commissioner Shea moved; Commissioner Trevillion seconded.
TNR officials said they would also expand internship recruiting this summer and target historically Black colleges and universities to build a longer pipeline of engineers for county positions.
