Not only have the Cameron County Public Works Dept. employees not gotten a raise for the past decade or so, but now it appears that – unlike their supervisors – the district judges are demanding that the commissioners court give their staff and reporters a 5 percent across the board pay raise.
At a hearing of the district judges held Tuesday, a majority of those attending awarded County Auditor Martha Galarza a pay increase that would raise her salary from $97,000 to $120,000.
Under Texas law, the salary of the county auditor is set by the district judges. However, the salary of the court staff and the reporters is up to the commissioners.Now, it just so happens that all the county commissioners are in Austin to push for the county's legislative agenda and lobby for monies for their area. When they come back to consider the 2014-2015 budget (county budgets start Oct. 1), they will have the district judge's demands on the table.
Sources knowledgeable about the district judge's meeting say that the raise for Galarza was agreed to by the majority who attended. However, the judges also put out the across-the-board 5 percent increase for their staff including court reporters.
"The commissioners can either choose to give all the court staff the 5 percent, or the judges will ask that they award the court reporters 10 percent each," said a source. "If they give the reporters the 10 percent, it will be less than giving the court staff the 5 percent. It's up to them."
If Galarza's salary goes up to the proposed $120,00 she will be making more than any of the four commissioners (between $43,423 and $48,133), the county judge ($69,642) and other elected officials. About the only one she will not be making any more than will be County Administrator Pete Sepulveda ($141,000 from Cameron County plus an annual stipend of $75,000 from the CCRMA for a total of $216,000 a year), the district and county court-at-law judges.
Sheriff Omar Lucio: $97,160
Tax Assessor-Collector: $87,190
County Clerk Joe Rivera: $81,960
District Clerk Aurora de la Garza: $81,960
The other non-elected official – aside from Spulveda– that earns more than the elected officials listed above is Sepulveda's administrative assistant David Garcia, who earns $115,000 and used to make an extra $75,000 stipend from the CCRMA before the commissioners asked the authority to reimburse the county for the time Garcia performed any work for it.
Other high-paid appointed officials who earn high salaries are Tobin Lefler at $121,617 and Chief legal counsel $121,500. Health Administrator Yvette Salinas earns $84,500.
As the big boys carve out their share of the pie, will the county workers at the bottom receive any of the gravy through the trickle-down theory?
12 comments:
A well deserved raise for a hardworking lady..
"...a $13,000 pay increase that would raise her salary from $97,000 to $120,000..."
Arithmetic was never your strong suit, eh Juan?
The highest salaries go to the career politicians who have been grifting the system for decades. Rotten, corrupt trash that prevent this region from anything good for the working class. And it's no surprise the judges are resorting to extortion tactics, they come from the same cess pool. Same dirty families taking all the county jobs. SMH
The trickle -down economy works "wonders" for the lower wage minions . Ten years have passed with no raises for these county employees. This certainly is an outrage committed by our elected officials. This my fellow citizens is the ideology of right-wing politics .
I believe her salary is capped legislatively at what the Sheriff salary is.
Missing money, corruption in the District Clerk with missing money 2011/2012
Missing money, corruption in the
County Parks dept 2010 / 2011
2012 / 2013.
Missing money, corruption in the Sheriffs jail 2011 / 2012.
Corruption in the Judges area
2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013
WHERE WAS THE COUNTY AUDITOR ? ? WHERE WAS THE COUNTY AUDITOR ? ?
KISSING ASS WITH COMM GARZA
KISSING ASS WITH COSCOS
KISSING ASS WITH COMM SANCHEZ
KISSING ASS WITH COMM SOFI
KISSING ASS WITH WOODS
AND NOW GIVE HER A RAISE ?
WAKE UP VOTERS / WAKE UP VOTERS
Those stupid judges forget they are elected too. We will remember this when you are all going around shaking hands and telling lies trying to get re-elected.
Da Mayor who in bed politically with Cascos, will rename the Rayon Bldg. , to Coscos the new discount store in honor of Cascos.
Talk about corruption: Da Mayor and La Gowen received a few millions from the Tenaska Project for landing the "contract". Diamond Gal Portillo was left holding her bag With a $70 K job. Little Jemino was "given" a job to shut him up; from the secret files of the NEA and the NSQ .
The ones that deserve the raise are the ones working in the hot, hot sun or cold, cold outdoors, in the inclemency of the weather.
Pay the man, dammit .
Afer all the hard work she has done for the Cameron County why deny a well deserved raise to a hard working person. In fact they should make it retro active to the fist day she took the position.
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