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Commissioners debate trimming elected officials’ pay to fund staff raises
Summary
At a budget workshop, at least one commissioner proposed cutting commissioners’ salaries (about a 25% reduction) and potentially lowering other elected officials’ pay to free one-time funds for departmental salary shortfalls while the salary committee develops permanent recommendations.
UVALDE COUNTY — Commissioners at a budget workshop discussed the politically sensitive option of reducing their own pay as a way to free funds for department salary adjustments and to signal fiscal restraint ahead of broader pay-structure changes.
“ I am willing to propose that we cut commissioner salary down…that’s about a 25% decrease,” a commissioner said during the workshop, proposing that cuts to commissioners’ pay be used to reallocate dollars for staff pay in the near term. Other members pushed back on optics and fairness, noting that the incoming commissioners’ court should weigh compensation that affects future terms.
The court also debated whether other elected officials’ salaries could be reduced temporarily (a suggested move would reduce some elected salaries from roughly $92,000 to $80,000 in one proposal) to create offsetting savings. Commissioners discussed fringe costs and travel-related expenses, noting that commissioners are not reimbursed for vehicle wear-and-tear or fuel when they travel the county.
Members said the salary committee, once formally appointed and publicly announced by the judge, should create a recommended schedule that considers education, responsibility and experience rather than relying on stipends. Several commissioners favored phasing any changes and avoiding one-off permanent increases that would ripple across departments.
No formal motion to cut elected officials’ pay was made; the discussion ended with agreement to let the new committee examine long-term compensation and to consider only limited, time-bound reallocation of existing payroll dollars to cover critical staff needs in the current fiscal year.
Next steps: the judge will formalize committee appointments on a future agenda; any action to change elected-official pay would require formal notice and a separate vote.
(Reporting note: paraphrases and direct quotes are drawn from the Uvalde County budget workshop transcript.)
