Harris County Commissioners Court on Thursday approved a $5 increase to its minimum wage for county employees, and a slightly larger boost for contract workers.
The decision marks the first time that the county’s minimum wage has been changed since 2019, when it was raised to $15 an hour.
County employees now will make at least $20 an hour beginning May 3. Contract employees hired by the county will see their pay increase to $21.65 an hour by July 1.
The new policy also calls for the minimum wage to be increased annually based on Massachusetts Institute of Technology Living Wage Calculator.
Commissioners voted 3-1 to approve the pay increase, with Republican Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey the lone dissenter. County Judge Lina Hidalgo was not present for the vote — she left the meeting early for an unspecified event.
The wage increase will impact 5 percent of Harris County employees, according to a Houston Landing analysis of county payroll data. Officials said it comes with an estimated price tag of $5.4 million, which will come from a combination of the general fund, grants and special revenues.
Years of increased spending and expanded priorities has left the county in a tight financial position. Though the minimum wage increase accounts for only a tiny fraction of the county’s $2.67 billion budget, Harris County already is staring at another potential budget deficit in 2025.
Budget Director Daniel Ramos did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the county’s finances.
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The wage increase, which was supported by labor advocates, was championed by Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones who said people — particularly those who work for the county — should not have to work more than one job or struggle to buy groceries.
“These are the people who are cleaning our buildings working overnight. These are the individuals mowing your parks. These are the individuals who show up after a hurricane, who are cleaning your roads,” Briones said. “Harris County is one of the largest employers in Harris County, so as one of the largest employers, we want to be an example for employers across the region.”
Elsa Flores, president of SEIU Texas, said the wage increase is historic and something that will benefit the county’s economy because it will allow people to spend more locally.
“Whether you’re part of the union or to just be or you’re not, this is going to be helpful so that people can pay the rent, insurance, bills, groceries, medications, and, frankly, just be able to serve to take care of themselves and their family without, hopefully, having to work two or three jobs,” she said.
Linda Morales, president of the Gulf Coast AFL-CIO, said that while raising the minimum wage to $15 is a step in the right direction, it is not enough.
“Fifteen dollars an hour was the goal 10 years ago, but it’s not a solution today,” Morales said.
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Ramsey, who voted against the wage increase, said he was unaware the wage increase was going to be discussed at court and said that it felt “chaotic” and “rushed.
The proposal was listed on the agenda simply as “Request for discussion and possible action on the Harris County Minimum Wage policies for employees and contractors.” The supporting document offered no more information, including the amount to be considered.
Ellis and Briones held a news conference Thursday before Commissioners Court to announce the proposal.
Ramsey also questioned the idea of using MIT’s cost of living calculator as the standard going forward.
“I don’t wake up every day thinking MIT is the center of anybody’s universe,” Ramsey said. “It has no meaning to me. I think this is chaotic. I think we need a coherent, comprehensive approach to these types of things, whether it’s what our least paid employees make or what our most paid employees make.”
Ellis said county executive salaries have been raised by as much as 74 percent over the past several years, with numerous positions growing more than $100,000.
The average executive salary, he said, is $298,000, which is $143 per hour.
“We didn’t have any heartburn or compression before we gave those pay increases,” Ellis said.
Data reporter José Luis Martinez contributed to this story.
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