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County clerk asks commissioners to temporarily cover staff pay as salary review is set
Summary
Uvalde County Clerk Donna asked the commissioners’ court to bridge a payroll gap this year — requesting $60,000 in temporary support and proposing a $25,000 reallocation she can find now paired with matching funds while a newly appointed salary committee studies long-term fixes.
UVALDE COUNTY — The county clerk urged the commissioners’ court to approve short-term budget moves to prevent experienced election- and records-office staff from leaving, saying the office needs a temporary infusion to stabilize pay while a committee studies longer-term salary reform.
“ I need $60,000,” Donna, the county clerk, told the court during a budget workshop, explaining that reductions in previously authorized stipends and a reclassification of funds had left several positions underpaid. She said earlier stipend dollars tied to records management and Operation Lone Star reimbursements were absorbed into the general fund and later removed from the clerk’s office, creating expectations staff now count on.
The request matters because the stipends were not permanent base pay, county officials said, and removing them has created pay disparities that risk turnover. “As your elected clerk, it is my responsibility to make these recommendations to you,” Donna said, asking commissioners to consider a temporary reallocation of unspent payroll dollars in addition to a one-time supplemental transfer.
Commissioners discussed an immediate compromise: Donna said she could try to free up $25,000 in her current budget; court members said they could consider matching that amount or authorizing a line-item budget amendment to shift existing payroll dollars to salaries for the coming fiscal year. One commissioner emphasized the county’s limited reserves, noting the auditor’s estimate that the county currently holds “less than 60 days cash on hand,” which constrains new recurring spending.
Court members agreed the board should not preempt the work of a salary committee that will be formed to recommend a permanent compensation structure. For now, they signaled openness to a time-limited fix — moving existing, nonrecurring dollars to cover salaries for one year while the committee develops a longer-term plan.
Next steps: commissioners directed staff to draft the line-item amendment language and for Donna to document the specific payroll dollars she can reallocate; formal action was not taken at the workshop and any budget change will require a future vote or amendment.
(Reporting note: quotes and figures are drawn from remarks recorded at the Uvalde County budget workshop.)
