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The road to get here has been long and treacherous, but last Tuesday, Hays County Judge Ruben Beccera and the majority of commissioners court approved a 10% income increase for Hays County employees making under $100,000.
The 4-to-1 vote took place on Feb. 7 after nearly eight months of discussion and planning. In June of 2022, the commissioners court approved a salary study contract with Management Advisory Group International, LLC to determine a fair and fiscally responsible way to implement raises. The study was expected to be completed by September of 2022 in order to provide relief for those still struggling with the rippling effects of COVID-19 and the onset of high inflation. However, the plan has still not been completed, something that frustrated commissioners on the dais.
“I think this lack of this information was a cause of concern to everyone,” said Hays County Commissioner Precinct 1 Debbie Igalsbe. Hays County Treasurer Daphne Tenorio went as far as to say that because the study was so delayed, the contract and the study could be considered invalid due to lack of supporting documentation and “has left us at a point where we have employees who are unable to live on a surviving salary.” She also stated that the salary issue could be impacting employee retention, because “if [employees] went to work for Chick-Fil-A, they would actually make more money,” Tenorio said.
Strong testimonials from both commissioners and elected officials expressed the growing urgency of raises for those that make less than $100,000 annually and are not bound by a previously settled collective bargaining agreement. The court approved the 10% raise for those in specific job brackets of employees, representing a total of 465 Hays County workers. Those who are bound by the collective bargaining agreement, essentially law enforcement, are not subject to this raise due to the different pay structure and the previous raises granted by it. Overall, this plan should cost the county almost $1.5 million of the $2.6 million budgeted for fiscal year 2023 in regards to salary adjustments.
According to the numbers that MAG did provide, Hays County is below the average of salaries being paid to their workers by at least 9.94% in the average market for minimum, midpoint and maximum income range.
“This isn’t new to say in Hays County that we are having a harder time fairly compensating our employees [and] keeping those good employees,” Hays County Commissioner Precinct 3 Lon Shell said.
Moving forward, the remaining salary adjustment budget allows for $1.1 million to be put towards continued efforts of decreasing the pay gap between Hays and the surrounding counties.
“We understand that we are behind and want to address that in the most fair and meaningful way that actually results in improvements, not just immediately, but overtime as the county continues to grow,” Shell said.
For more information regarding this action, visit the Hays County Commissioners Court website.
