El Paso County Commissioners Vote to Give Themselves $26,000 Raise

Beginning in October, El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar and County Commissioners Carlos Leon, David Stout, Vincent Perez, and Andrew Haggerty will have some extra spending money.

That’s because commissioners voted to raise their annual pay by a little over $26,000, and to give Escobar an additional $14,000 a year during a Special Budget Meeting on Wednesday, August 10.

Beginning with the new fiscal year on October 1, the commissioner’s salary will go from $62,680 to $89,250, while Escobar’s will increase from $87,577 to $102,000.

According to a report in The El Paso Times, the pay raises passed by a vote of 3-2, with Leon and Haggerty voting against.

Per the Times:

Leon told the rest of the Commissioners Court that he was in a different position than the rest of them and that he is on the ballot in November’s general election. Leon and Commissioner Vince Perez are running unopposed.

“I’ll just leave it out to you all,” Leon said during the meeting."

The article notes that although Haggerty was not opposed to a pay raise, he voted no because he felt the increase was too much at one time.

County Judge Escobar was not comfortable voting on her own salary and therefore voted against an increase. However, all four commissioners voted in favor of bumping her salary by $14,423.