Deputy pay raise a 'go'

From staff reports

San Marcos May 09, 2008 10:52 am

— Hays County deputies will get a pay raise in the fall and for the first time won’t have to pay for their own uniforms.
Commissioners earlier this week voted 5-0 to adopt a base pay of $40,794 — more than $4,500 more than new hires currently make.
Additionally, the HSCO will initiate a “step program” for officer advancement.
Pct. 3 Commissioner Will Conley initially pitched the pay raise in April and the proposal had drawn opposition from some other county department heads who claim their employees also deserve more compensation.
Conley had pointed out that Hays deputy pay was the second-lowest in the region, and that Hays is the only county that does not provide uniforms. Both those facts have made it hard to recruit new deputies, Conley said.
“It is important to note that this court has demonstrated its willingness to address employee recruitment, retention and fair pay issues as they arise,” County Judge Liz Sumter said. “Even though it may seem like the Sheriff’s office came up to bat first in regards to the 2009 budget, it doesn’t mean that Commissioners Court, during the budget process, will leave the rest of the county’s employees behind. I will work hard during the budget process to address all of the county’s needs in a fair and equitable way.”