Bexar County Commissioners voted Tuesday to once again raise their own salaries, bringing Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai’s salary from about $205,000 to nearly $209,000 per year for the 2026 fiscal year.
The county’s four commissioners will make about $165,000 per year, including a $9,000 per year car allowance. The county judge also receives executive security detail, which provides his transportation.
Bexar County’s average household income was $82,500 in 2025, according to county data.
County commissioners typically meet twice per month, and are allowed to have jobs outside of serving on the court.
Unlike City Council members, County Commissioners don’t need voters’ permission to increase their own salaries because the Texas Constitution and local government code gives them that authority.
As a result, San Antonio City Council salaries are about $100,000 per year lower than their county counterparts. In 2024, City Council members went from making $45,700 per year to $70,200 per year, after voters approved the change in November.
Committee recommended increases
To create some distance from the decision, Bexar County leaders created a Citizens Advisory Committee on Elected Officials’ Salaries and Allowance in 2023 to recommend changes.
Its members are appointed by the commissioners, and the committee met four times this year to consider peer elected official salaries in peer counties, wage trends and comparisons to private sector salaries.
The committee ultimately recommended 2% raises for most elected officials — mirroring the cost of living increases being proposed for county employees in the 2025-2026 fiscal year budget.
In addition to the county commissioners, the raise would apply to the district attorney, the county clerk, the district clerk, the tax assessor-collector, justices of the peace and probate court judges. Bigger raises were suggested for the Bexar County Sheriff and constables, who the committee said make less than their counterparts in other Texas counties.
Unlike past years, top-line salary recommendations for most positions were not included in the presentation. County spokeswoman Monica Ramos said they would be included in the overall county budget document when commissioners approve it next month.
The San Antonio Report estimated the new numbers based on the current salaries and the approved rate of increase.
Commissioners had varying reactions to the recommendations on Tuesday, but voted unanimously to approve the changes. The new fiscal year starts Oct. 1.
Pointing to the county’s estimates, Sakai said taxpayers would be paying a total of about $100,000 per year for the elected official raises — not including state-mandated raises for elected judges.
“I hope the taxpayers understand that I’m not asking for this,” said Sakai, who was a civil district judge before he was elected Bexar County Judge in 2022. “This is something that’s embedded in a process.”
How commissioners responded
Commissioner Justin Rodriguez (Pct. 2) said Tuesday that he would prefer that moving forward, elected officials’ cost of living adjustments not be based on staff salary changes, since most staff members make significantly less money than the commissioners do.
Precinct 2 County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez speaks at a Town Hall regarding county budget at the Westside Education and Training Center in August 2024. Credit: Brenda Bazán / San Antonio Report
Last year the committee recommended 5% elected official raises, which would have been higher than the 3% raises recommended for staff, and commissioners voted to reduce their raise to match the rate being offered to employees.
“I’d like to untie the two,” said Rodriguez, who works as an attorney in addition to serving on the court. “I’m not committed to whatever employees get, we have to get. In fact, … maybe our employees deserve a little bit more.”
Likewise, Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores (Pct. 1) said staff raises are still up for negotiation throughout the budget process, and she hoped they wouldn’t be limited to the 2% commissioners agreed to for themselves.
Clay-Flores has a background in education, but does not have a job outside of commissioners court.
Commissioners Tommy Calvert (Pct. 4) and Grant Moody (Pct. 3) both said the committee’s work was a welcome change from the days when commissioners were tasked with recommending their own raises.
That process led to widely different salaries for different commissioners because some turned down raises in tough budget years, and raises declined by one commissioner meant their lower salary was passed down to the next official elected to that seat.
It also put Bexar County elected official salaries lower than some other counties, because they skipped raises in years with tight budgets.
The 2026 fiscal year budget doesn’t currently include big cuts, but a budget “cliff” is projected in 2028 if cuts aren’t made to programs added with federal pandemic funding.
“We were significantly behind, and again, I’m glad we kind of standardized this across the board,” said Moody, who was among those making less than others when he was first elected. In addition to commissioners court, Moody serves in the U.S. Marine Reserves.
Calvert, who has a consulting business outside of commissioners court, suggested well-paid elected officials would help promote higher salaries across the county.
“We were very behind… and it ripples down to all of your workers if your top is underpaid,” Calvert said.