Commissioners weigh deputy pay raises as Harris County pushes back on salary complaints

Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies investigate a fatal shooting scene at an apartment complex at 5600 block of Aldine Bender Road Sunday, March 26, in Houston. One male dead and five other victims were transported to different hospitals. less Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies investigate a fatal shooting scene at an apartment complex at 5600 block of Aldine Bender Road Sunday, March 26, in Houston. One male dead and five other victims were ... more Photo: Yi-Chin Lee / Houston Chronicle, Yi-Chin Lee Photo: Yi-Chin Lee / Houston Chronicle, Yi-Chin Lee Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Commissioners weigh deputy pay raises as Harris County pushes back on salary complaints 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Harris County officials on Tuesday pushed back sharply against complaints from county peace officers that they are underpaid, saying the pay raises requested would cost more than $62 million a year.

The Harris County Deputies Organization — which represents 1,700 jailers and deputies — first raised the issue in late July, when the organization's leadership sent a pay study to commissioners showing deputies and jailers make significantly less than peace officers working in comparable departments, making it hard to attract top talent and damaging public safety.

But in a letter to Commissioner Jack Cagle Tuesday responding to his questions about the peace officers' concerns, county budget officials said the deputies were telling a one-sided story.

"A key takeaway is that the salary comparison shown by the HCDO provides an incomplete and misleading picture of the county's law enforcement compensation," according to the memo.

Some county commissioners, however, said they would consider bumping the pay for starting deputies for an estimated $2 million per year.

The HCDO analysis showed that deputies and jailers make on average 18 to 24 percent less than their peers in large, urban departments, and leaders called for increases across the pay scales to bring local salaries in line.

The deputies argued that because of the county's vast size, population, complexity, and high call volume, they should be compared to other large Texas cities.

County officials, however, said Tuesday that a truer comparison would be to other nearby sheriff's offices. The budget office is still reviewing records to produce a comprehensive report.

HCDO President David Cuevas said Tuesday he had not yet seen the letter but would be reviewing it.

The memo acknowledges that a deputy's first year pay of $44,866 lags other nearby jurisdictions — though it rises to $49,338 in deputies' second year of work. Raising the low pay of first-year deputies would cost the county approximately $2 million annually. Fixing wages across all pay grades would exceed $62 million annually.

County officials also challenged other data in the pay study.

Although HCDO officials argued that low pay is driving away peace officers and making it hard to attract top talent, the memo points out that the sheriff's office and constables offices have increased their ranks by more than 1,000 employees in the past five years.

During the same period, peace officer pay has risen between 19 percent and 30 percent during that same period of time, and employees have seen a 10 percent across-the-board pay increase along with step increases, raises due to promotions and increased longevity pay.

In the past year, the sheriff's office has lot only 1 percent of its employees to resignations, the memo said. The average length of service to the county from its deputies runs approximately 16 years.

"I wanted something that was more of an apples-to-apples comparison," said William Jackson, the county's chief budget officer.

He said the deputies' pay study did not include incentives specific to Harris County, such as step increases and other pay raises or note other steps the county has taken to respond to employee concerns, including new parking, absorbing rising health costs, and stepping up court security.

County officials said a massive, system-wide pay increase would not be feasible.

"I believe it's a very bold move by the HCDO to propose at this time a plan to ask commissioners court to approve a $62 million pay raise," Precinct 3 Commissioner Steve Radack said. "And I can say with some certainty, we can't afford [that] with all the other demands we have."

Jackson said he would propose increasing starting deputy pay.

"If we can bump up on the front end, if that's a major concern — $2 million out of a budget of half a billion dollars, I think that's a good way to invest some money and help out those starting people," he said.

Radack likewise said he would vote to raise starting deputies base pay.

"That looks like something we certainly need to address and as we get more information on it, I would personally vote to approve those funds for that," he said.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said deputies at a minimum need a sustainable salary that allows them to live in Harris County.

"The hardworking folks who dedicate their careers to maintaining our county should receive a competitive living wage for their work," he said.

St. John Barned-Smith covers public safety and major breaking news for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Send tips to st.john.smith@chron.com.