A review of public data by the Houston Chronicle found that most of the top 25 highest-paid Harris County workers work for the Institute of Forensic Sciences.
Republicans Cagle and Ramsey agree to attend a meeting on Monday to talk about a joint plan for the tax rates in Harris County.
The Medical Examiner Service and the Crime Laboratory Service are both part of that service. They help with death investigations and lab tests. Usually, you need a graduate degree to work in this area. Data show that nearly half of the top 25 highest-paid jobs are in this department, with salaries reaching $3.8 million.
At No. 68 on the list is Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who makes $190,860 per year. As the county’s top leader, she runs meetings of the Commissioners Court and is in charge of managing emergencies.
Hidalgo just won another four years in office after her Republican opponent Alexandra del Moral Mealer ran a close race against her. She said that during her second term, she wants to do more to fight crime, make early childhood education better, and make flooding a top concern.
Rodney Ellis, Adrian Garcia, Tom Ramsey, and Lesley Briones are the other four commissioners on the Harris County Commissioners Court. They all make the same amount of money, $182,561, and are named No. 90 through No. 93.
The tweet below verifies the facts:
The top 25 highest-paid Harris County employees, ranked by 2023 salary data https://t.co/VCXVuXVyit
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) April 25, 2023
With Hidalgo’s win and Commissioner Briones’s win, a new era of representation on the court began. For the first time in its history, Latinos now make up the majority of the five-member body.
Some people who work for a commissioner make a lot more than the commissioner themselves. This is the case with Ellis and Garcia and their chiefs of staff. A representative from Ellis’s office said that elected officials’ wages are not based on market standards and that keeping to market standards helps precincts find and keep good people.
Luis Sanchez, who is the chief medical examiner for the Institute of Forensic Sciences, is named as the county employee who makes the most money.
According to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences website, Sanchez is in charge of the department’s relationships with other agencies, finances and administration, investigations, autopsy services, the anthropology division, emergency management, quality management, and the crime lab.
On the list, none of the hospital district’s high-level workers are shown. A spokesman for the hospital district said that this is because the Harris Health System is a different legal entity from Harris County.
Here is a list of the 25 highest-paid Harris County workers, along with a short description of what they do as part of local government:
Employees with the most money in Harris County are:
1. Luis Sanchez
Annual salary: $413,004
Chief Medical Examiner and Executive Director of the Institute of Forensic Sciences is the job title and department.
2. David Berry
Annual salary: $385,008
County Administrator – Office of County Administration is the job title and department
3. Pramod Gumpeni
Annual salary: $358,030
Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, Institute of Forensic Sciences, is the title and department of this job.
4. Hannah Jarvis
Annual salary: $325,041
Assistant Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, Institute of Forensic Sciences, is the title and department of this job.
5. Roberto Trevino
Annual salary: $321,984
Executive Director III, Toll Road Authority, is the name of the job and the department.
6. Peterson, Christina
Annual salary: $321,984
Job title & department: Flood Control District Executive Director HCFCD
7. Saifur Rahman
Annual salary: $321,984
County Engineer – Engineering is both a job title and a department.
8. Barbie Robinson
Annual salary: $321,984
Executive Director – Public Health Services is the job title and the department.
9. Kent Heck
Annual salary: $315,328
Assistant Medical Examiner/Neuropathologist, Institute of Forensic Sciences, is the job title and department.
10. Darshan Phatak
Annual salary: $315,328
AME Fellowship Program Director – Institute of Forensic Sciences is the job title and department.
11. Ana Lopez
Annual salary: $315,328
Assistant Medical Examiner/Program Coordinator, Institute of Forensic Sciences, is the job title and department.
12. Ericka Brown
Annual salary: $314,995
Director, Community Health and Wellness Division, Public Health Services, is the job title and division.
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13. Jennifer Ross
Annual salary: $306,904
Assistant Medical Examiner, Institute of Forensic Sciences is the job title and department.
14. Roger Milton Jr.
Annual salary: $306,904
Assistant Medical Examiner, Institute of Forensic Sciences is the job title and department.
15. Dudley Brandon
Annual salary: $297,960
Chief of Staff for the Harris County Commissioner Precinct 1 is the job title and department.
16. Elizabeth Beyton
Annual salary: $297,564
Assistant Medical Examiner/Pathologist Assistant Coordinator, Institute of Forensic Sciences, is the job title and department.
17. Rafael Garcia Jr.
Annual salary: $297,564
Assistant Medical Examiner, Institute of Forensic Sciences is the job title and department.
18. Paulyann Maclayton
Annual salary: $297,564
Assistant Medical Examiner/Outreach Coordinator, Institute of Forensic Sciences, is the job title and department.
19. Richard Noriega
Annual salary: $286,644
Executive Director – Universal Services is the job title and the department.
20. Emma Henrie
Annual salary: $265,200
Assistant Medical Examiner, Institute of Forensic Sciences is the job title and department.
21. Daniel Ramos-Santana
Annual salary: $257,566
Executive Director OMB – Budget Management is the job title and department.
22. Perrye Turner
Annual salary: $252,491
23. Danita Collins
Annual salary: $250,016
Chief of Staff, Public Health Services, is the name of the job and the department.
24. Thas Costis
Annual salary: $250,016
Executive Director – Community Services is the job title and the department.
25. Michael Lykes
Annual salary: $240,011
Chief of Staff for the Harris County Commissioner Precinct 2 is the job title and department.
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