Dallas County staff rolls 3% FY27 elected-official pay recommendation into budget ahead of Aug. 11 vote

County staff presented the FY27 budget proposal at a special-call Dallas County Commissioners Court meeting on July 30 and said it includes a 3% cost-of-living increase for elected officials and county staff.

"We have notified each of you via email of the FY27 proposed budget, which includes a 3% elected officials increase, COLA," a budget staff member told the court. Staff said some elected officials have returned signed acknowledgements and that the deadline for acknowledgements is Saturday; after the deadline staff will know if any grievances have been filed.

A county staff member identified in the record as Morrison said the county's comparator analysis validates the proposal and characterized Dallas County as competitive with other urban counties. "Just quick math, we're about 11% over the average," Morrison said, referring to the officials and comparators used in the analysis.

Staff advised the court it was not necessary to adopt the item at the special meeting and said the 3% recommendation will be rolled into the adopted budget presentation slated for Aug. 4 and Aug. 11. A commissioner confirmed that the formal vote is scheduled for Aug. 11.

The presentation included discussion about which peer counties were used as comparators; one commissioner noted Harris County historically is treated as an outlier and excluded from the county's comparisons. The court did not take a final vote on the salary recommendation during the July 30 special call; commissioners accepted the presentation and directed staff to proceed to the scheduled budget meetings.