Harris County commissioners vote 3-2 to approve pay parity with HPD

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Harris County deputies and constables are getting a pay raise. Thursday morning, county commissioners voted 3-2 to approve an increase that will start in the 2026 fiscal year.

The goal for commissioners is to have pay parity with the Houston Police Department in order to prevent an exodus of law enforcement leaving the county.

The Harris County Deputies' Organization had warned that failure to raise pay could spell trouble for citizens' safety.

Jose Lopez, the president of the Harris County Deputies Organization, has said the Harris County Sheriff's Office could face a "crisis" if nothing changes.

RELATED: HCSO bracing for mass exodus ahead of council vote on HPD pay raises this week

Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey has said it would take $140 million to make raises happen. He's proposed doing it through the elimination of what he calls wasteful spending.

However, the vote does raise concerns and questions about where the money will come from. The county was already in a $130 million budget deficit, but this increase will now put them in a $270 million deficit.

"This is monumental for us, again, we're very excited for it," Lopez said. "Us achieving pay parity is what we wanted. This is going to help us retain the deputies we have."

A negotiation committee was also approved. It will be tasked with figuring out how the raises will be paid. The committee needs to have a plan by August.

"What happened (Thursday) was committing to find at least $270 million out of a budget that's already very tight without saying where the money is going to come from," County Judge Lina Hidalgo said. "There's going to have to be problematic cuts."

Hidalgo has also brought up potential tax rate increases.

The starting base pay for a Harris County Sheriff's deputy is around $57,000.

After raises were approved for the Houston Police Department on Wednesday, the union said their base pay will start at $75,000.

RELATED: Houston City Council approves $1B HPD contract making it 'highest paid police department in Texas'

Chief Noe Diaz told Eyewitness News on Wednesday that his department had already heard from 75 deputies with the sheriff's department looking to come to HPD.

A sergeant spoke at the commissioner's court earlier this month and said pay makes it unwise for new recruits to join the sheriff's office.

"There have been plenty of times in each district that we only have three or four deputies patrolling. Sometimes it's supervisors like myself who have to go pick up calls. We are the ones busting our tails, coming to work every day, and we're not getting paid," HCSO Sgt. Byron Garrett said.