New 911 director raises pay discrepancy; county to hold personnel meeting

Lisa Horton, who introduced herself during public comment as the new Johnson County 911 director, told the quorum court she was told at hiring that her salary would equal that of her supervisor but that her paychecks showed a smaller increase.

"When I was offered the job by my supervisor, he advised me that my salary would be the same as his and he got it approved," Horton said. She said she believed the supervisor's salary was $47,320 and that her pay had come in lower than expected; she described receiving roughly a $2-per-hour difference and a weekly increase she characterized as about $80.

Board members expressed surprise the pay issue had not been raised earlier and said more information was required. One member said the matter should have been handled before Horton began and that the clerk should have been informed. The board indicated the issue will be handled in a personnel meeting to clarify hiring, pay-scale steps and any necessary adjustments.

Horton named 'Jerry' as the person she discussed hiring with; officials said Jerry carried out the hiring with approval and agreed to meet with Horton to resolve the discrepancy. No formal adjustment or numeric remedy was announced at the meeting. The board asked Horton to follow up and scheduled a personnel meeting to resolve the matter.

The exchange was part of the public-comment portion of the meeting; county officials said they would pursue the issue through the county’s personnel process rather than resolve it in open session.