Overview
- The Harris County Commissioners Court voted Thursday to raise each of the eight elected constables' salaries to $305,000, with the change to take effect only if the FY2027 budget is adopted this fall.
- Commissioners also approved identical top‑line pay boosts for several other elected county officers, including the county attorney, district attorney, county clerk, district clerk, and tax assessor‑collector.
- Budget staff say the county faces about a $130 million deficit and the budget director plans to propose a three‑cent general fund tax‑rate increase to help close the gap, a step that could raise homeowners' property tax bills if other district requests are approved.
- County Judge Lina Hidalgo voted against the increases and warned about the size of the raises, critics point to wide differences in constable office sizes and the fact that some elected officials have said they may decline the higher pay.
- The pay hikes follow a rapid series of raises that have about doubled constable pay since 2024 and were driven in part by a state pay‑parity push, so the county must now decide this fall whether to absorb higher recurring costs, trim other services, or raise taxes.