Harris County's Salary Grievance Committee recommends a 30% raise for Treasurer Carla Wyatt instead of the $305,000 salary she requested.

Harris County's Salary Grievance Committee recommended a 30% salary increase for County Treasurer Carla Wyatt on Thursday, a fraction of the $305,000 she had asked for during a meeting that also touched on efforts to eliminate her office entirely.

Wyatt currently earns $139,547 a year. The committee's recommendation would raise her pay to approximately $181,400. Commissioners Court is not required to act on the recommendation.

Wyatt had initially filed a grievance seeking at least $250,000, then raised that figure during Thursday's meeting.

"I did file a grievance for $250,000. I'm formally making a motion to move that to $305,000 just like the other elected officials," Wyatt told the committee. "I'm a county elected official. The people of Harris County put me here and so I plan to continue to serve them in this capacity."

She added that she did not intend "to be disrespected."

Her requested figure, $305,000, would have amounted to a raise of more than $165,000, or about 119% above her current salary. The committee's recommendation of 30% is far smaller.

Wyatt's push for parity follows raises Commissioners Court approved for several other countywide elected officials for the coming fiscal year. Those officials, including the elected constables, the County Clerk, the District Clerk and the Tax Assessor-Collector, are set to see their salaries rise from $179,421 to $305,000. The County Attorney and District Attorney are slated to go from $217,485 to $305,000. Wyatt was not included in that round of increases.

The salary dispute is playing out alongside a separate, ongoing effort by county leaders to abolish the elected Treasurer's Office altogether. Commissioners have argued that many of the office's remaining duties could be absorbed by other county departments. Eliminating the position outright would require more than a vote from Commissioners Court; it would need approval from Harris County voters.

Earlier this year, commissioners already moved one of the office's core financial safeguards, a system known as Positive Pay that helps detect fraudulent checks, out of the Treasurer's Office and into the county's Office of Management and Budget.

Despite that shift in duties and the push to eliminate the office, Harris County's proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins in 2027 would actually increase the Treasurer's Office funding. The office's proposed budget is about $2.07 million, up from roughly $1.84 million in the current fiscal year, an increase of about 13%. The office continues to handle other financial functions for the county.

Wyatt did not respond to a request for comment on the committee's recommendation.

The salary debate is unfolding as Harris County works through a budget that could raise property tax bills for homeowners. The county's proposed budget assumes a property tax rate that would generate about $2.42 billion for the General Fund. Under those assumptions, the county portion of the tax bill for an average homestead would rise from about $1,202 to $1,350, an increase of $148, or roughly 12.3%. That figure doesn't include separate taxes tied to Harris Health, the Flood Control District or the Port of Houston.

County budget writers have been contending with a General Fund shortfall that, at one point during the budget process, was projected to reach about $181 million.

Commissioners Court has not scheduled a vote on the 30% raise recommendation for Wyatt. Any effort to abolish the Treasurer's Office would still require approval from Harris County voters in a countywide election.