The problem, according to Hudspeth, isn’t necessarily the raise itself. It’s where the money would come from.
“The approved salary increase was not accompanied by additional funding and would have to be absorbed within the County Clerk’s existing budget,” Hudspeth said in a public statement. “At this time, I have chosen not to accept the newly approved salary.”
The decision means Hudspeth is walking away from a substantial increase. The Houston Chronicle reported her current salary is roughly $179,000, meaning the new salary would have amounted to an increase of about $126,000.
Instead, Hudspeth said she’d rather keep the money available for staffing and other needs within the office she oversees.
“My immediate focus remains ensuring the resources available to the County Clerk’s Office are directed toward filling the positions requested during the budget process and maintaining the staffing needed to effectively serve Harris County residents and fulfill our statutory responsibilities,” Hudspeth said.
She isn’t the only Harris County official whose salary increased.
Commissioners Court recently approved raises that would bring most countywide elected officials to $305,000 beginning with the county’s new fiscal year Oct. 1, according to the Houston Chronicle. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and the four county commissioners were among those whose salaries would remain unchanged.
Some of the increases are considerable. The Chronicle reported District Clerk Marilyn Burgess was also authorized to go from roughly $179,000 to $305,000, while County Attorney Abbie Kamin and District Attorney Sean Teare were each authorized to increase from roughly $217,000 to $305,000.
Harris County’s eight constables, meanwhile, were approved for increases from about $260,000 to $305,000.
Hudspeth appears to be taking a different route, creating an interesting contrast with another county official who recently sought a smaller pay bump and was denied.
Harris County Treasurer Carla Wyatt recently asked for a substantial raise of her own—but didn’t get it. Wyatt initially requested a salary of $250,000 “or more,” up from roughly $140,000, according to the Houston Chronicle. A county salary grievance committee later recommended a considerably smaller $40,000 increase, Houston Public Media reported, but Commissioners Court ultimately declined to approve it.
Wyatt’s request came amid an unusual backdrop for the treasurer’s office, where county commissioners also moved to abolish her elected position altogether.