County Commissioners Voted for Themselves a Big, Fat Pay Raise

SAN ANGELO, TX — Tom Green County Commissioners Court on Aug. 11 unanimously approved a proposal to increase salaries and other compensation for themselves and other elected officials for fiscal year 2027.

The proposal includes a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for all elected officials. It also includes a $14,000 base salary increase for the four county commissioners “with their salaries up to comparable to peers in the state,” according to the agenda item.

The motion further shifted money from auto allowances into base salaries. Officials moved $5,438 from the justices of the peace auto allowance into base pay while leaving a smaller auto portion in place, and moved $7,259 from the commissioners’ auto allowance into base salaries.

County Judge Lane Carter made the motion. Precinct 4 Commissioner Shawn Nanny seconded it. The vote was 5-0, with Commissioners Ralph Hoelscher (Precinct 1), Chad Decker (Precinct 2), Rick Bacon (Precinct 3), Nanny, and Judge Carter all voting aye.

The proposed figures appear in a July 28 worksheet titled “Tom Green County Proposed Elected Official Compensation” that was attached to the agenda item. The court approved the package for publication under Local Government Code Section 152.013.

Context from the Texas Association of Counties 2026 Salary Survey

The commissioners’ $14,000 base increase is framed as a catch-up to peer counties. The Texas Association of Counties’ 2026 Salary Survey (the biennial compilation of elected official pay across Texas) provides the comparative data counties routinely use for these decisions. The survey organizes salaries alphabetically by county and by population groups, allowing officials to see how Tom Green’s current commissioner compensation that is roughly in the $80,000 range including longevity and allowances before the proposed adjustment stacks up against similar-sized counties.

Texas Association of Counties 2026 Salary Survey snippets:

• Val Verde County (Del Rio) (population 48,163): $64,186
• Taylor County (Abilene) (population 149,153): $95,536 - $122,462
• Johnson County (Cleburne) (population 209,341): $123,814
• Ector County (Odessa) (population 175,677): $59,072-72,010
• Midland County (Midland) (population 184,344): $90,000
• Wichita County (Wichita Falls) (population 128,927): $83,000
• Tom Green County (San Angelo) (population 123,326): $68,675 (increasing to $96,211–$97,777)

(Lubbock County and Brown County did not participate in the survey)

Under the proposal, total annual compensation for the four commissioners would rise to approximately $96,211–$97,777 after the $14,000 adjustment, 3% increase, and longevity changes. That level is intended to move them closer to the mid-to-upper range of peers in the TAC survey’s population brackets that include counties near Tom Green’s size (124,000 residents).

Other proposed total compensation figures from the worksheet include:  

• County Judge Lane Carter: $170,335.71  (with state supplements)
• Sheriff Nick Hanna: $129,985.43  
• County Attorney Chris Taylor: $183,158.64 (includes $70,000 in state funds)  
• County Treasurer Dianna Spieker: $111,758.54  
• District Clerk Vicki Vines: $105,504.54  
• Tax Assessor-Collector Becky Robles: $103,228.54  
• County Clerk Christina Ubando: $101,116.54  

Justices of the peace would range from about $96,135 to $103,135. Constables would fall between roughly $81,600 and $83,100. Court-at-law and district judge figures largely reflect state pay structures, with limited county supplements.

The proposal was published before the court can take final action on the FY 2027 salaries.