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Williamson County adopts proposed 2025–26 budget direction, approves COLA and contested supplements
Summary
Commissioners directed the budget officer to file the 2025–26 proposed budget, approved a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for civilian staff and a $70,000 annual supplement for the district attorney after a contentious debate that split the court.
Williamson County commissioners on Aug. 19 directed county staff to file the proposed 2025–26 budget and approved several pay- and budget-related items after hours of public comment and debate.
The court voted 5-0 to direct the budget officer to file the proposed budget and set public hearing dates. Separately, the court approved a 2% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for civilian employees under the court’s purview by a 3-2 vote; commissioners split on a related proposal to give a one‑time $1,000 payment instead of a COLA.
Why it matters: The decisions will affect the county’s payroll and long-term compensation structure ahead of final budget adoption. The COLA vote and a related set of personnel actions were the most contested items of the morning.
Public comment set the tone for the discussion. “The proposed 2% merit increase has sparked a lot of concern…for many, 2% doesn't even cover the rising cost of basics like food, gas, and insurance premiums,” said Evelyn McLean, JP 3, during the public-comment period. Charles Duvall, president of the Williamson County Deputies Association, urged the court not to remove law-enforcement pay provisions from the employee manual, saying retention and hiring gains flowed from earlier pay adjustments.
District attorney supplement and state clawback: The court voted 3-2 to approve an annual county supplement of $70,000 for the district attorney. County staff explained how the county–state pay split works: increasing the county supplement can reduce the state contribution so the DA’s total compensation does not rise dollar-for-dollar with the county increase. County Manager Rebecca Clements described the expected effect: if the county pays $70,000, the state portion would drop to about $175,000 and the DA’s total salary would be about $245,000. Several commissioners expressed concern that raising the county’s share can trigger a state “clawback” that reduces the state contribution; others said the county should act to ensure the DA’s retirementable pay adequately reflects local responsibilities.
Other pay and staffing votes: The court approved a 2% COLA for Road & Bridge civilian staff by a 3-2 vote. A separate motion to give law-enforcement personnel an additional 2% above the median recommended in the employee manual failed, 2-3. The county auditor’s salary was set by separate action at $212,895 and passed unanimously.
New position and rollovers: Commissioners approved adding a county-attorney investigator position after the county attorney identified offsets and vehicle reassignments to reduce net budget impact (motion passed 5-0). The court also approved rolling forward vehicle orders that have not yet arrived into the next fiscal year so purchases can be completed (5-0).
Process notes and next steps: The court rescheduled the formal budget and tax-rate hearings to Sept. 3, 2025, at 1 p.m. in the Commissioners Courtroom; the vote to file the proposed budget begins the statutorily required public-notice process. Several commissioners said they want a broader off-season review of how supplements for state employees are handled going forward.
The court’s split votes on pay — including the 3-2 approval of the DA supplement and the 3-2 approval of the 2% COLA for civilian staff — underscore continuing tensions between using county funds to boost locally provided compensation and maximizing state contributions for state employees.
