Commissioners Court selects Salary Grievance board members

Nine members of the public and four alternatives were selected by the Gonzales County Commissioners Court June 10 to make up the Salary Grievance committee. David Rodriguez, Michael Uker, Deborah Remschel, Pamela Malatek, Margret Crow, Spencer Brietschopf, Kevin Hoggard, Betty Fehner and John Owens were the nine selected, while Donna Kelly, Eva Dean, Frieda Venegas and Dolores Siegel made up the four alternates.
Letters will be mailed to these individuals alerting them to their selection. The selected must agree to the position to be appointed. In the event of one of the nine denying the appointment, one of the four alternatives will be selected. The names were randomly selected at the County Commissioners meeting and pulled from a list of residents that also served as a grand juror in the previous year.
The Salary Grievance board is vital during the county’s budgeting process. The board handles any elected county or precinct officer salary or personal expenses aggrievances. The board must hold a public hearing no later than 10 days after the aggrievance letter is received.
According to local government code, “If, after the hearing, six or more of the members vote to recommend an increase in the officer's salary or personal expenses, the committee shall submit its recommendation to the commissioners court in writing. If six to eight members vote to recommend the increase, the commissioners court shall consider the recommendation at its next meeting. If nine members vote to recommend the increase and sign the recommendation, the commissioners court shall include the increase in the budget before the budget is filed and the increase takes effect in the next budget year.”
Other news from the meeting:

• The county’s longevity pay policy was updated. County employees that have served five years are entitled to longevity pay which will be paid out in a lump sum each year in November. Grandfathered employees also have the option to receive the longevity pay monthly over the span of the year.
• Because of an illegal split of land in 2013, a Precinct 4 variance request was approved. The split happened prior to the current land owner’s occupancy.
• An interlocal agreement between Gonzales County and Dewitt County regarding housing of inmates was approved.
  To fall in line with the newly passed Texas Senate Bill 354, commissioners officially authorized the auditor’s office to pay claims that are routine and recurring outside of Commissioners Court.
• Minutes from the May 28, 2019 meeting were approved.
  Monthly reports from Precincts 1 and 3 were received and accepted as is.
• Annual road reports for 2018-2019 were accepted.