HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Harris County recently approved a one-time $45,000 payment to each Harris County constable as taxpayers face potential property tax increases and a $181 million budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year.<\/p>\n
13 Investigates obtained copies of agreements between the county and the constables, as well as the fire marshal. The agreement raises the constables’ and fire marshal’s salary to $305,000.<\/p>\n
It also gives a one-time payment of $45,000 to each constable as well as a one-time payment of $48,390 to the county’s fire marshal.<\/p>\n
A copy of the settlement, obtained by 13 Investigates through an open records request, shows it resulted from a concern raised by a state lawmaker who wanted to know whether House Bill 4205 was being interpreted correctly.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers passed HB 4205 last year. It says that if the county increases pay for one class of police officers, it must apply it to all officers, whether they are employed by the constables or the sheriff’s office.<\/p>\n
Texas defines a police officer as a sworn employee with that state peace officer license who works for a police department, as in investigator at the district attorney’s office or the fire marshal’s office.<\/p>\n
“The term does not include the chief of the department,” according to state law.<\/p>\n
HB 4205, which only impacts Harris County, went into effect on Sept. 1, 2025.<\/p>\n
The following month, the Harris County constables received a nearly $82,000 raise, bringing their salary to $260,000.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Harris County sheriff, whose department also oversees the county jail, received an annual salary of nearly $330,000.<\/p>\n
Due to the difference in pay, State Representative Sam Harless sent a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in October 2025, asking for an opinion on whether or not the constables were entitled to the same pay as the sheriff.<\/p>\n
“Does the inequity between compensation for the Sheriff of Harris County and the elected Constables in the county’s adopted budget for 2025-2026 violate the statutory requirement or intent of the law as passed, should they be considered the same class of peace officer?” Harless asked in his Oct. 9, 2025, letter.<\/p>\n
Harless also posted the question: “Should Harris County modify their adopted budget for 2025-2026 to conform with HB 4205 and provide the required pay parity?”<\/p>\n
While Harless waited for an answer to his questions at the state level, a newly obtained settlement agreement confirms there were conversations happening behind closed doors at the county level.<\/p>\n
All eight constables signed the agreement in late July and by August, county commissioners approved the salary increase and one-time payment of $45,000.<\/p>\n
Harless ultimately withdrew his request for an opinion from the AG. His office told 13 Investigates that Harless was not involved with any conversations regarding a possible settlement between the county and the constables or any other party.<\/p>\n
“Because Rep. Harless was informed that the County and the Constables had come to a mutual agreement, this meant that the AG opinion was no longer necessary. It was for this reason, and in an effort to free up AG resources for other opinion requests that still needed a resolution, that Rep. Harless withdrew his request,” a spokesperson for Harless’ office said in an email to 13 Investigates.<\/p>\n
13 Investigates wanted to know more about the one-time payment to the constables and fire marshal, and why the county didn’t wait for the attorney general’s office to make a decision that could have saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.<\/p>\n
The fire marshal declined to comment.<\/p>\n
13 Investigates reached out to the constable’s, who referred us to the County Attorney’s Office.<\/p>\n
The County Attorney’s Office did not respond to our request for comment.<\/p>\n
The Office of County Administration told us they could not comment because “this matter was considered by Commissioners Court in executive session and involves a confidential agreement with law enforcement.”<\/p>\n
We also reached out to the county commissioners and county judge, but did not receive a comment.<\/p>\n
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is the only one who said in open court that she opposed giving the constables the raise that brought their salary to $305,000.<\/p>\n
“I am against that, especially given the county budget situation,” Hidalgo said during an Aug. 6 commissioners court meeting. “I recognize that this needs to match the increases that were given to other politically-influential elected officials, but when we did that, we knew that we didn’t have funds for these enormous raises.”<\/p>\n
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