GEORGETOWN- Elected officials in Williamson County are going to receive a pay raise.
Passed by the County Commissioners’ Court Tuesday, July 18, the item adds a total of roughly $330,000 across the board for all the elected officials. The increase will go into effect in October.
The pay raise brings the commissioners’ salary to $139,860 annually. Additionally, it increased the county judge’s pay to $159,117 annually.
Constables, the county clerk, the district clerk, the sheriff, justice of the peace, the tax assessor/collector and treasurer also received salary increases.
Elected officials are receiving the raises based off the human resources depart- ment’s salary study. Beginning in April, the county’s HR group studied the official’s current salaries in comparison with other counties in the state.
The team studied the officials’ pay in Bell, Brazoria, Collin, Denton, Fort Bend, Hays, Montgomery and Travis counties. After the numbers were collected, they calculated the median of the salaries for each position and recommended that number to become the new salary.
The county attorney is the only elected position that did not receive a pay increase because the current salary was greater than the median of the studied counties.
There was an option to add vehicle stipends for some of the elected positions along with the salary increases, but the court ruled for the option that did not include the stipend.
In addition to salary increases for elected officials, county employees received an increase of two days of bereavement for the death of an immediate family member.
Now, a county employee may take four days of bereavement for the loss of a parent, child, sibling or spouse, and two to grieve for someone who was not an immediate family member.
The court passed the item four to one. Commissioner Terry Cook was the lone nay, citing that she would rather see elected officials’ salary deferred for a year.
“I’d rather make sure our departments are in good shape,” Cook said.
The county is on a three-year salary study cycle.
