Do Cameron County Officials Deserve Raises?

By Diego Garcia III ★ Editor of The Brownsville Beacon

If you visit the Cameron County website, you'll find a section dedicated to press releases. Among the disheartening information about the rising COVID cases is the proposed raise in compensation for 26 county administrators. The county judge and the four county commissioners are proposed to receive an 11,000 dollar pay bump, while the other 21 administrators are in line to receive 5,000 dollar pay bumps.

Along with the commissioners and the county judge, the list includes the county and district clerks, the tax assessor/collector, the county attorney, the county treasurer, the justices of the peace, the constables, and the sheriff.

The questions that beg to be asked are: Is this the right time for the top county administrators to be asking for a raise? Have these top officials made Cameron County a better place? Does their performance merit a significant increase in compensation?

With the county in the grip of a crippling pandemic, at a time of rising joblessness and homelessness, should our tax dollars be allocated to salary increases for people who already receive a salary that's higher than the region's average?

Take County Judge Eddie Treviño. His legacy will forever be linked to allowing Elon Musk and SpaceX to operate relatively unchecked out at Boca Chica. If Musk gets his way, Treviño will be responsible for allowing a billionaire to take over, privatize, and destroy one of the last pristine natural beaches along the South Texas Gulf Coast.

Treviño will also be remembered for his diplomacy and excellent communication skills when he told a meeting full of Santa Rosa residents who were asking for help and solutions after heavy rain flooded the area, "Do you want help or do yu just want to bitch?"

The new sheriff, Eric Garza, wants to see a 5,000 dollar increase to $113,896. The sheriff has seen a mass exodus from the county's jail division as dozens of officers have quit, leaving the jails with a massive shortage of corrections officers. The blogosphere has reported on several issues dealing with the sheriff and his administration of the county's law enforcement agency, including shortages in patrol, reassignment of unqualified personnel, and employees holding positions they aren't certified to hold — hardly the type of performance that would merit an increase in compensation.

All of these county officials who are in line for the proposed raises are elected officials; and many of them will be coming up for reelection within the next election cycle. 

I'll ask again: Have these administrators done a good enough job to deserve raises?

Should the county consider raising these officials' salaries across the board, or should their compensation be based on a review board or a merit system?

It isn't my choice to make. I am only one of the county's 423,163 residents. That said, I do believe it is the responsibility of the local news media to inform the citizenry of the county's goings-on.

A public hearing is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 10th in the Cameron County Commissioner's Court located at the Oscar Dancy Building located at 1150 East Madison Street (the Old Cameron County Courthouse).

Hold your elected officials responsible and accountable. If you have questions, comments, or concerns about the proposed raises, attend the public forum and make your voices heard.

Regardless of what some elected officials may think, it isn't just our right to "bitch," it's our responsibility.


You can find the details and the list here: https://www.cameroncounty.us/2022-notice-of-proposed-increase-in-compensation/

 

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