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Citizens committee recommends sheriff, constable raises and 2% COLA for elected officials; court accepts recommendations
Summary
The citizen advisory committee recommended a one‑time increase for the sheriff and constables and a 2% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) for elected officials for FY2025–26; the Commissioners Court accepted the recommendations and initiated the grievance process.
The Bexar County Citizens Advisory Committee on elected‑official salaries presented its recommendations to the Commissioners Court on Aug. 19 and the court accepted them. Elba Adams, the committee chair, told the court the group of five volunteers met four times and used comparative data from the 10 largest Texas counties, historical county wage trends, and the county’s internal compensation metrics.
The committee recommended a one‑time base salary increase for the sheriff and constables to bring those offices closer to market. The committee reported the sheriff’s current base salary as $180,481 and recommended a one‑time increase of $12,839 to a new base of $193,320. For constables, the committee reported a current base of $122,660 and recommended a one‑time increase of $5,920.85 to $128,580.85. The committee also recommended a 2% COLA for FY2025–26 for all elected officials (applied to base salary only) aligned with the COLA proposed for county employees and asked that COLA decisions for 2026–27 be re‑evaluated using published inflation metrics.
Adams stressed that probate judges and other offices subject to statutory minimums and maximums would be handled consistent with state law. The committee requested annual disclosure of total compensation (base, stipends, fees and allowances) from elected officials; failure to disclose would exclude a position from consideration for increases. The committee provided a detailed attachment with comparative and historical figures.
The court approved the committee’s recommendations in a motion by Commissioner Clay Flores, seconded by Commissioner Reed Rodriguez. The acceptance of the recommendations triggers the county’s grievance process: elected officials will have five days to file a grievance with the county judge’s office; if a grievance is filed, a grievance committee will convene within ten days and provide recommendations back to the court. County staff estimated the aggregate near‑term taxpayer impact of the accepted recommendations at roughly $100,000; judicial salaries are a separate matter governed by state law and will be addressed in forthcoming items.
