NO RAISES FOR COUNTY WORKERS, ONLY FOR SNOOZING DAN

By Juan Montoya
Remember how generous Cameron County  Pct. 4 commissioner Dan Sanchez when the court was tweaking the budget back in 2012 and a majority of the commissioners voted to go along with him and grant County Clerk Joe Rivera and District Clerk  Aurora De la Garza a raise at his expense?
Rivera and De la Garza complained that the raise would get them closer at salary parity with County Tax Assessor-Collector Tony Yzaguirre.
The commissioners court then approved increases of $2,855 each only for De la Garza and Rivera.
Sanchez said that he voted for the proposal in order to get De la Garza's and Rivera's $78,105 salaries as close as possible to the $86,690 salary that is paid to Tax Assessor-Collector Tony Yzaguirre.
The increase granted the two from Sanchez's salary line item brought their compensation to $80,960.

The collector's compensation was $85,690.

Once approved, Sanchez's salary was lowered to $42,462 plus $960 for a phone allowance to total $43,423. The other three commissioners earned salaries ranging from $47,173 (Pct 1's Sofia Benavides), $48,133 (Pct. 2's Alex Dominguez), and $48,133 (Pct. 3)'s David Garza. Benavides turned down the $960 phone allowance.

County Judge Carlos Cascos earns $64,042, no phone allowance, and $5,400 for his service on the county's Juvenile Board to total $69,462.

This year, the commissioners were  considering passing a $1,000 increase for all elected officials, but rejected it because of a tight budget and the fact that there would be no pay raises county employees.

The vote was 4 to 1 to give Sanchez the raise with only county judge Carlos Cascos voting against.

With the four county commissioners voting to raise Sanchez and all county commissioners to $48,173, the only county employee to receive a raise was Sanchez whose salary will be increased by $5,710 to $48,173.

"No one else is getting a raise but Dan Sanchez", said a county employee who attended the hearing where commissioners voted to restore his salary to match the rest of the commissioners court. "He's getting back what he gave up in the 2013 budget."

However, the county will  now have to continue to  pay the county clerks at the rate that they reached when Sanchez chipped in the $5,700 from his pay. So despite the fact that Sanchez is no longer paying for the duo's raise , taxpayers will continue them at the higher rate as a result of the Pct. 3 commissioner from now on.

All together: "Thank you, Commissioner Dan Sanchez!"