Liberty County commissioners unanimously approved salaries for the county’s elected officials during regular meeting on Tuesday, July 28, taking one of the final required steps before adopting the county’s budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
The salary schedule was approved after County Judge Jay Knight told the court there had been only one correction to the proposed figures.
“We only had one correction that we need to make,” Knight said. “If y’all had noticed concerning certificate pay for one of our officers that it wasn’t included, and that is all I have as far as that goes, but all the notices were made correctly.”
Knight said the correction had been made and recommended the court move forward with approval.
“I believe we’re finally at the point to where we can approve this as stated,” he said.
Commissioners approved the salary schedule without further discussion. The salaries for the upcoming fiscal year are unchanged from the current fiscal year. Under the approved schedule, County Judge Jay Knight and Sheriff Bobby Rader will each receive an annual salary of $134,722.
County commissioners, along with County Clerk, District Clerk, County Treasurer and Tax Assessor-Collector, will each receive an annual salary of $96,922. Commissioners and the county judge also receive a $25,000 auto allowance every year. Constables, justices of the peace and other positions also receive a smaller auto allowance. The county’s portion of the salaries for district attorney, county attorney and the two district judges are unchanged; however, their salaries are also supplemented by the State of Texas.
The county’s four justices of the peace and six constables will each receive $64,423 annually.
State law requires counties to publicly publish proposed salaries for elected officials before they can be adopted. Tuesday’s vote followed that public notice period and allows the county to continue the budget process ahead of adopting the fiscal year 2026-27 budget later this year.
The approved salary schedule also includes longevity pay and other authorized supplements for qualifying employees and elected officials where applicable.