Nine members of the Cameron County jury pool will hear the salary grievance of nine of the 10 county justices of the peace this Thursday.
The nine – currently earning a set salary of $47,172, a $5,400 auto stipend and a $960 phone allowance – will ask the nine-member committee to grant them a 29 percent salary hike that would bring them to $68,000.
They are: Pct. 1-1 JP Benny Ochoa, Pct. 2-1 JP Linda Salazar, Pct. 2-2 JP Jonathan Gracia, Pct. 3-1 Guadalupe Ayala, Pct. 3-2 JP David Garza , Pct. 4-1 JP Juan Mendoza, Pct. 5-1 JP Sallie Gonzalez, Pct. 5-2 Eloy Cano, and Pct. 5-3 Mike Trejo.
Only Pct. 2-3 JP Mary Esther Sorola did not file a grievance with the salary committee to get a salary increase. Both Sorola and Gracia took office in January 2015.
The committee will hear the JPs grievance at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the second floor of the Dancy Building at 1100 E. Monroe Street.
If all nine of the committee members approve their request additional or any, their decision is is binding on the commissioners court. If between six and nine agree to go along with the justices of the peace, the commissioners can take it as a recommendation for their final decision. If less than six vote for the raises, the request dies.
The commissioners last Tuesday voted to give all elected officials a 2 percent increase with the exception of Pct. 2 commissioner Alex Dominguez who made the motion and said he didn't need the increase. County Judge Pete Sepulveda and Pct. 4 commissioner Gus Ruiz voted for the measure. Pct. 1 commissioner Sofia Benavides and Pct. 3 commissioner David Garza were not present for the vote.
We have learned that Gracia was chosen by the nine JPs to make the presentation before the salary grievance committee on their behalf. He is the only lawyer of the 10 JPs.
This is interesting in itself since during his campaign in the runoff against Yolanda Begum he said that if he won, he would donate a portion of his salary as justice of the peace toward scholarships and non-profit agencies that work to curb truancy.
Will he argue that county JPs are underpaid compared to those in Hidalgo and statewide?
It is unknown whether he carried out his donations promise. If he did, asking the committee for a raise could in effect mean he is asking the county taxpayers to replace the money he has donated.
During a public hearing held last week, Brownsville resident Robert Uresti opposed the granting of any salary increases for any public officials saying that they knew what the salary was when they ran for office. He specifically objected to the JPs getting raises because they are allowed under Texas law to keep the fees when they perform a wedding ceremony.
He said that he had recently gotten married (for the third time) and that the fee schedule for a ceremony Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. to p.m. at the courthouse was $200.
Just how much do the JPs get annually for performing their ceremonies on top of their $53,000 salary and car and phone allowance?
Next: Part 2. Salazar, the Cupid of Cameron County