County Commissioners to vote Monday on raises for elected officials

Historic Ellis County Courthouse

ELLIS COUNTY — The Ellis County Commissioners' Court will be meeting Monday, August 10 at 10 a.m. to discuss and take action on a number of important issues of concern to residents, including a three-percent pay increase for elected county officials.

The is open to the public and will take place on the second flood of the Historic Ellis County Courthouse located at 101 W. Main St. in Waxahachie.

The topic of most interest is the three-percent raise for elected county officials proposed by Ellis County Judge Carol Bush.

The agenda item for the public hearing portion of the meeting refers to the proposed salary increase as a cost of living adjustment.

Ellis County Precinct 3 Commissioner Paul Perry opposes the pay increase for any elected official making over $70,000 per year.

"I do not support the pay raise for members of the court or anyone making over 70K. I do however prefer a flat dollar raise for our employees," Perry said. "We should have other priorities in order to provide for county needs, given our growth."

The court will also vote to set dates for two public hearings on the proposed budget for the 2015-2016 fiscal year. The proposed dates are Monday, August 24 at 3 p.m. and Monday, September 14 at 10 a.m.

Another agenda item includes consideration to purchase additional vehicles for the county using funds from the 2014-2015 budget fund balance.

The court will discuss an possible amendment to the county fire code. Additionally, the Fire Marshal's position will be up for public discussion as well as a private, executive session meeting. Ellis County no longer has a Fire Marshal and the court will be discussing the future of the position. Sources tell Ellis County Citizen that members of the court have been considering turning over the duties of fire investigations to the state's Fire Marshal or hire another Fire Marshal.

Perry commented on social media that the county has the money to hire a new Fire Marshal considering the county judge is proposing a three-percent pay increase for elected officials.

"It now becomes very clear to me that we have enough money to fund the Fire Marshal's office," Perry said.

The meeting agenda also includes a number of other items related to county business that residents should stay abreast of.

Click here to read the full agenda for Monday's meeting.