06.16.08
More Money, More Money, More Money
There’s one thing elected officials in Williamson and Travis can agree on, they need a raise.
Elected officials in Travis and Williamson counties could see pay increases this year under recommendations that both of the counties’ commissioners are considering today.
Travis County’s elected officials could get either a 3.5 percent or 4 percent increase in their salaries for 2008-09, while Williamson’s 23 elected officials could see a 5 percent increase.
[..]
County officials say the increases are necessary to keep up with the consumer price index, a national statistic that measures the cost of goods and inflation for each household. The most recent numbers say those costs in Texas have increased by roughly 4.6 percent in the past year.
“The consumer price index has been steady in the low fours, so our 5 percent recommendation would be a very conservative raise, because that’s a little less than a real 1 percent raise over the CPI,” said John Willingham, Williamson County’s director of human resources.
Both Travis and Williamson’s elected officials have received pay increases in the past few years. Last year, Travis County’s elected officials received a 4.5 percent pay increase, while most elected officials in Williamson County received a 3.9 percent salary increase.
Because the county budgets aren’t yet set, officials don’t know how taxes will be affected.
[…]
Williamson County
Proposed 2007-08 2008-09
Position salary salary
County judge $98,670 $103,604
Commissioners $80,344 $84,362
County attorney $124,000 $130,200
Sheriff $99,681 $104,665
So much for small government conservatives.