Hays County debates FY27 civilian pay-chart options; staggered plan would cost about $4.8M

The Hays County Commissioners Court spent substantial time on K5 — a discussion of the FY27 civilian salary chart and market adjustments. County budget officer Scott Woodland presented two principal options: full implementation (effective Oct. 1) with an incremental fiscal impact of roughly $6.8 million, or a staggered (50/50) approach producing an incremental cost of about $4.8 million.

"The option 1 would be a full implementation... about $6,800,000 as the incremental fiscal impact on that," Woodland said. He and HR staff also described a staggered option that would apply 50% of the recommended market adjustments on Oct. 1 and the remaining 50% on April 1, which Woodland estimated at approximately $4,800,000 in incremental cost.

County officials, elected leaders and department representatives urged adoption of the HR market study. Cynthia Melanzi, assistant county clerk, urged the court to "be bold" and adopt the study to correct long-standing pay inequities; Elaine Cardenas, the county clerk, and other speakers argued further delay would worsen recruitment and retention. Commissioners discussed funding options but stressed legal constraints that prevent moving certain dedicated funds (for example, Road & Bridge or bond-specific CO funds) into the general-salary pool.

Commissioner proposals included internal cost savings (subscription and contract reviews), delaying non‑essential professional services, and targeted re-scoping of projects to free funds. County staff committed to bring back additional detail—specific position-level comparisons and a process for resolving identified mismatches—before the Sept. 15 vote. The court took no final action at this meeting but directed staff to return with recommended language and implementation steps for the next session.