County treasurer seeks $6,311 salary increase from committee
San Jacinto News- Times - September 2009

COLDSPRING – A grievance for a salary increase, carried before the San Jacinto County Salary Grievance Committee last Wednesday by a county elected offi cial, resulted in a vote that will throw the fi nal decision to the county commissioners’ court. Unhappy with the salary she makes, San Jacinto County Treasurer Charlene Everitt fi led a grievance which was heard during a hearing before a nine member committee. After presenting her case to committee members, seven members voted in favor of increasing the treasurer’s salary while two voted against. Because there was not a unanimous vote of all nine committee members to increase her salary, the fi nal decision will be considered by San Jacinto County Commissioners’ Court during a regular session of court.

Following the vote, Everitt said, “That’s it. It’s over. The court is not going to vote for it.” Everitt, who has been reelected as county treasurer for seven terms (28 years) fi led her grievance with San Jacinto County Judge Fritz Faulkner following the publication of salaries on Aug. 13. She is seeking an increase in her salary of $6,311, which would bring her salary up to that of San Jacinto County Auditor Carole Martin. Martin is hired by the county’s two district judges who established her salary at $47,765. “I believe my qualifi cations and knowledge justifi es the increase,” Everitt told grievance committee members. Everitt accused Judge Faulkner of “not being consistent in setting salaries and budgets of the county employees.” “I will show you why I believe some are treated differently,” Everitt said. “I am not happy with the salary the judge and auditor has budgeted for me next year and this is my last chance to have my voice heard. We are told over and over there isn’t enough money to do what we need to do. But that is not true if the judge can in crease his benefi ts,” Everitt said.

Everitt explained to committee members her duties as the county’s only elected fi nancial offi cer. “My duties also include human resources coordinator, investment offi cer for the county, bank depository negotiator, processor of all accounts payable, receiver of all money from whatever source, processor of all state fee reports, processor of bail bond fees; processor of monthly fi nancial reports, processor of bi-weekly payroll, process of national forest and mineral fund payments to local schools in the county and the county, administer of drug and alcohol policy and vending machines caretaker,” Everitt said. “In 2006-2007 the judge and auditor increased their salary by the vehicle allowance they were getting each month ($660). By doing this, these two received a salary of $7,920more than any of the other elected offi cials for three years. Each had to complete a mileage report with the necessary mileage to justify the amount of money in order to receive tax free.

“In the 2009-2010 proposed budget, the judge is moving this money from his salary. The budget will then show his salary ary same as the commissioners. He is adding $4,580 to it so he can now have $12,500 in vehicle allowance. Same as the commissioners. This is not vehicle allowance but a salary supplement,” Everitt said. “The reason I am grieving for $6,311 is because that is the amount needed to bring my salary up to that of the appointed auditor. I believe the experience I have and the duties I perform justify the increase to my salary,” she said. Everitt said she did not request any increase in her budget over last year. “I requested $14,000 in extra help. Since I was fugal and did not use it the judge cut it to $5,000. But he gave $9,000 to the county extension office.This office does not have the same responsibilities as the treasurer’s office. Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace has two fulltime employees and $3,000 in part-time. How can the judge (Faulkner) justify his decisions?” she asked.

Concluding, Everitt said, “Everyone and every class of employees should be treated the same and given the same respect and consideration. I pray you will vote in favor of my request to increase my salary to $47,765.” She presented committee members with a copy of the annual salary she has received over the last 27 years. “My average yearly salary I have received over the 27 years is $29,898,” she said. Before the salary grievance committee met last week Everitt prepared a letter and sent to each member explaining why she felt she must grieve and outlined her duties as county treasurer, a move which Judge Faulkner called “inappropriate and unethical.” “As an attorney, if I did this before a hearing I would be charged with tampering with a witness,” Faulkner said.

Defending his actions as the county’s budget officer, Faulkner said, “In preparing the budget the sheriff has six new employees who want raisers. I look and see that only $400 has been spent out of the treasurer’s part-time line item. My job is to review and when I see where money is not being used I cut down.” Faulkner said Everitt once took care of obtaining health insurance for the county, but longer. “The insurance companies were not going to deal with us if they had to work with the treasurer,” Faulkner said. “By changing and getting our insurance with the Texas Association of Counties, we were reimbursed for the first time $250,000,” Faulkner said. “We are down from 12 Department of Safety Officers to four so we are losing revenues there.

We have one lady doing two jobs now (San Jacinto County Emergency Manager Judy Eaton) at a savings of $35,000; the sheriff has asked for $5,000 for a total of $250,000 more in his budget for salaries. Hopefully his revenue will be up once he starts housing Harris County inmates at $45per day, starting with about 50. These are a few of the things I have to consider when preparing the budget,” Faulkner said. “There’s not a lot of money in the budget and there was talk about giving a three percent salary increase to everyone. We decided that it would be fairer to give everyone a $1,000 salary increase for the coming year,” Faulkner said. “That way, everyone would realize the same amount.” “My salary went down. I did not take a raise for five years,” Judge Faulkner said.

“I have one employee in my office.” Following a break, committee members made a motion to increase Everitt’s salary by $4,000 ($44,500), which was what she asked for in the proposed budget. A vote on the motion failed with only four members voting in favor. The other five committee members did not vote, thinking they would be able to make another motion and have a chance to cast their vote for something else. As a result the first vote was rescinded and a second motion was made and passed to increase Everitt’s salary to $47,765 by a seven to two vote.