Harrison County committee unanimously recommends $50,000 base pay for three constables after public hearing

A Harrison County salary grievance committee voted unanimously on [the day of the hearing] to recommend raising the base salary for the three constables who filed formal grievances to $50,000, following several hours of testimony and deliberation.

County Judge Chad Sims opened the public hearing, explained the statutory grievance process and how the committee’s recommendation moves to the commissioners' court for final budget action, and called the three constables to testify. Constable Daryl Griffin (Precinct 4) said he has served since 2017 and described routine duties — serving evictions and civil papers, acting as a bailiff and responding to storms and safety calls — and said his proposed 2026 base salary of $46,351 leaves constables roughly $13,000 behind other precinct-elected officials. "I'm just asking for fair," Griffin said, describing training, paperwork and the risks he faces on calls.

Jim Weatherall (Constable, Precinct 3) told the panel he serves roughly 300 civil processes a year, described multiple mandated service attempts under state statute, explained recent state audits of his office’s records and presented budget details including county vehicle lease and fuel allocations. Weatherall said constables have no dedicated office staff and carry out billing and state reporting work themselves; he asked the committee to set a salary that reflects the job’s demands and liabilities.

Committee members and the sheriff probed comparisons to justices of the peace and deputy sheriffs, noting differences in regular office hours, court duties and staff support. Several committee members said apples-to-apples comparisons should use counties matched by population and budget, and they discussed phased raises versus one-time parity moves. The county’s proposed budget had included a 3% across-the-board increase and a larger planned adjustment for JPs; constables had requested parity at $59,603 (the proposed JP level). Committee discussion covered cost, recruitment and whether incremental steps could narrow the gap.

After deliberation, the committee agreed to a compromise: by unanimous roll call the nine voting members approved a recommendation to raise the base salary for the constables who filed grievances (the three named complainants) to $50,000. The committee chair said the group would prepare a written summary of its action for the commissioners' court. The committee did not set binding changes for constables who did not file grievances; the chair noted the commissioners' court retains final budget authority and could extend matching adjustments later.

The committee’s written recommendation will be forwarded to the commissioners' court for consideration at its next meeting; the transcript records the committee’s unanimous vote to recommend the $50,000 base for the three affected constables.