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Travis County staff lays out three options to change longevity pay; court asks for more data
Summary
County Budget staff presented three options to alter longevity pay timing and amounts — from modest timing alignment (Option 1) to doubling the historical $60 step (Option 3) — with estimated incremental annual costs of about $109K, $1.08M and $2.12M respectively; commissioners asked for retention data and asked staff to return as part of compensation talks.
The Planning and Budget Office briefed the court on potential changes to county longevity pay during the June 2 meeting, presenting three options staff says are intended not to reduce any employee’s current longevity pay but to adjust timing or increase the flat-dollar component.
Travis Gautland, County Budget Director, explained the current system and the historical context: “The $60 amount has been in place since at least 1995,” he said, and staff noted that POPS (peace officer pay scale) employees begin receiving the flat-dollar longevity earlier than classified employees. The briefing presented three alternatives: (1) align classified employees’ eligibility timing with POPS (estimated incremental cost $109,000); (2) also increase the flat amount to $96 (estimated incremental cost about $1,082,523); and (3) increase the flat amount to $120 and raise the maximum cap (estimated incremental cost about $2,117,630).
Commissioners pressed for workforce-retention data and for analysis on affordability and equity. County Clerk Diana Limon Mercado cited data indicating that roughly 50% of the workforce has four years or less of service and urged that the four-year mark appears to be a critical retention threshold. Commissioners discussed the limitations of longevity adjustments to address compression and emphasized the need for a market salary study and more detailed cost/revenue analysis before committing to a change. The court did not take action and directed staff to include the longevity options as part of the broader compensation conversations later in the budget process and to return with additional tables and staff analysis.
