Grievance panel recommends review of Justice of the Peace Susan Rowley’s pay after increased truancy caseload

A nine-member citizen grievance committee voted 7-2 to recommend a salary increase for Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 Susan Rowley; the committee chair said the recommendation will be placed on the commissioner's court agenda for consideration at its next meeting.

Rowley told the panel she has taken on a large increase in truancy cases over the past school year after several local schools began filing truancy cases in her court. She said court records she provided showed the court processed about 507 truancy-related filings in the 2024-25 school year after additional schools began filing in her precinct midyear, and she estimated the caseload could grow to about 1,400–1,500 cases in the next school year.

“I'm very passionate about that,” Rowley said, describing additional home visits and casework she performs in truancy matters. Rowley said the extra work has required longer hours and more staff time but that she has continued to perform the duty because she believes it helps students.

Rowley, an attorney by training, said she took the pay request from comparators in other Texas counties where judges assigned all truancy cases received raises; she proposed roughly a $10,000 addition and provided a figure the panel used in its motion. Committee member Nikki Tafoya moved to recommend an annual salary of $100,686 for Justice of the Peace Precinct 2; Karen Hatley seconded. Diaz collected ballots and the chair announced the vote was 7 in favor, 2 opposed.

Because the vote was not unanimous, the chair said the commissioner's court will consider the grievance committee’s recommendation at its next meeting rather than the increase being automatically included in the budget. During the hearing county staff noted that, under current practice, the county sets the salaries for multi-member classes of officials — such as justices of the peace and constables — equally, and that a vacancy or future budget process could change salary levels for the office rather than the person.

Rowley told the panel she performs weddings and other fees that generate limited outside income; she also said she recently completed cancer treatment and that her health appointments have affected scheduling. Committee members expressed support for the workload Rowley described and noted the equity issue of identical pay for multiple JPs when one judge is handling a majority of truancy cases.