Betancourt's plea for salary increase denied

BROWNSVILLE - Cameron County Treasurer David Betancourt's plea for a $12,000 salary increase has been denied by the county's nine-member grievance committee.

After meeting for about 30 minutes in executive session Wednesday night, the committee voted unanimously not to grant Betancourt any pay increase.

Although Betancourt was disappointed by the decision, he said he respected it minutes after the grievance hearing was adjourned.

"Certainly they considered it," but failed to approve it, Betancourt said.

Betancourt could have voted to allow the grievance committee to discuss the issue in open session, but granted the committee's request to discuss it among themselves and Grievance Committee chairman and County Judge Carlos Cascos in executive session.

Cascos had questioned the timing of Betancourt's request at a time when the county is having problems balancing its budget. He said elected officials know what their salaries will be when elected to office.

Prior to the executive session, Betancourt told the group that he was only requesting his salary be brought up to par with that of District Clerk Aurora De La Garza and County Clerk Joe Rivera, who each make about $70,000.

"Don't make it become a Grand Canyon," Betancourt said, referring the salary gaps. "All I am asking you is to close the gap."

Betancourt's salary is $58,221.

Attorney Mike Salinas, who represented Betancourt, said, "You can take the politics out of the budget process" by granting the pay increase, suggesting some elected officials were getting raises because of who they know.

Although several elected officials received pay raises over the past 12 years, the county treasurer's salary basically remained the same or saw a little increase, Salinas said.

He described Betancourt as a public official who reports to the job every day because he heads a department staff of three.

Unlike other departments, Betancourt doesn't have others to help manage his office, Salinas said.

"You will never see the district clerk or county clerk working on a day-to-day basis," because they have managers to help oversee their departments, Salinas said.

Betancourt submitted his request for more money to the county judge's office on Aug. 25. Also submitting requests for higher salaries were Rivera and De La Garza.

However, Rivera and De La Garza's requests to appear before the grievance committee were denied because their requests came in a day after the Aug. 25 deadline.

In his letter, Betancourt said that in order to "avoid the appearance of political favoritism most counties in Texas follow this system of equal compensation to those officials."

He cited equal pay that justices of the peace, constables and county commissioners receive.

Betancourt stated if approved, the increase would help close the gap between compensation for the office holders.