County approves 5-percent pay raise

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

After heated discussion about a change in how some county employees’ raises might be calculated this year, the Caldwell County Commissioners’ Court approved an across-the-board, 5-percent pay raise for all county employees during their regular meeting on Monday.
Earlier in budget talks, Sheriff Daniel Law and Distric

t Attorney Reagan “Trey” Hicks had requested adjustments in their pay schedules. Law had hoped to distribute the pay increase in an incremented fashion, while Hicks asked to adjust salaries of some employees within his department.
However, after the Sheriff’s proposal was met with resistance from other elected officials, most notably County Treasurer and human resource officer Lori Rangel-Pompa, the Court decided that additional adjustments, beyond the general pay increase, would not be granted during this budget.
The Commissioners will hold a series of public hearings to discuss the budget and proposed tax rate during the coming weeks, and vote on the budget and tax rate on Sept. 23.
In other business, the Court approved a contract with Time Warner Cable which will allow for updated Internet and email service for all county offices. The service, which requires the installation of fiber optic cables in several areas, should take 60-90 days to activate.
In brief news:
The Commissioners declined to reinstate an outdoor burning ban.
They approved an Order of Election for the Nov. 6, 2007, Constitutional Amendment Election. It is still unclear whether the City of Lockhart will hold a special election in conjunction with the Nov. 6 election.
The County paid bills in the amount of $399,553.21, which includes payments for construction and roofing projects, as well as a payment to the architects on the County Jail project.