Unions press for bigger COLA as county presents $22 million compensation reserve

County HR and budget officials briefed the Commissioners Court on Aug. 11 about options for employee pay in FY2027 and asked commissioners for feedback ahead of a scheduled Sept. 1 vote on final compensation.

Travis Gatlin, Budget Director, said the FY2027 preliminary budget includes a compensation reserve totaling about $22,000,000 and that a 3% across‑the‑board cost estimate for the classified workforce is about $13,425,000. He described components of the reserve — across‑the‑board increases, pay‑scale/step changes, POPS (peace‑officer pay scale) step increases, longevity‑pay options and overtime impacts as base salary rises. Susan Walvis, interim chief human resources officer, described longevity‑pay options (the presentation compared the long‑standing $60 per year flat amount with proposed increases to $96 or $120 and options to change timing of eligibility) and said staff would provide a one‑page Q&A and the detailed spreadsheet used to cost the proposals.

Several county employees and union representatives urged the court to take stronger action. David Nichol (AFSCME/ASHME representative) asked for a progressive COLA for FY2027 that would give a flat raise to employees earning below an MIT living‑wage threshold and a percentage raise to higher earners. Multiple AFSCME members — David Cruz, Nathan Fernandez, Bridial Summers and Ben Suddebi — asked the court to adopt a 5% progressive COLA and to set a county minimum at the MIT living‑wage figure cited in testimony, $23.71 per hour. “We definitely support raising all employees to the MIT living wage of $23.71 an hour,” Nathan Fernandez said during public comment.

Staff told the court that numbers will be refined and that a detailed presentation and a vote on compensation are planned for Sept. 1. Walvis and Gatlin said they will work with the compensation committee to test options and provide clear employee materials explaining longevity, compression and pay‑scale impacts.