Cameron County employees will soon be seeing a bump in their pay.

The county approved their yearly budget to include the pay raise.

Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino said this increase will help the department keep jailers and deputies. He says the raises will make their pay more competitive compared to other local agencies.

"I think this one, itself, it starts a good trend, and we're keeping our fingers crossed that next year we'll be able to do 10 or better," Sheriff Trevino said.

A step in the right direction. 

That's how Sheriff Trevino describes the 10 percent pay raise for Cameron County deputies and jailers.

"We'll be able to put out there at our job fairs what the starting pay is now, especially for our jailers. We're very, especially for my jailers, we're very happy," Sheriff Trevino said.

The sheriff says he has a good working relationship with county commissioners. He feels that diplomacy helps him get more towards his department's budget.

"You work with your county judge, and you work with your commission where you try to meet halfway, where you just don't go in there and demand this is how much I want," Sheriff Trevino said.

The starting pay for jailers will be at more than $39,000. For deputies, it will be at more than $45,000.

Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino says the pay increase was possible because of the growth the county is seeing.

"As our county continues to grow, we have new construction, we have new developments, all of that adds to our property tax base," Judge Trevino said.

Judge Trevino also explains not just the sheriff's office is benefitting from the county's growth. He said the county lower the tax rate for the past three years, which now sits at a quarter cent decrease from the previous year.

Elected officials also saw a salary increase based on the average of other counties. All other county employees received a five percent increase across the board.

For the first time this year, dispatchers were a part of the law enforcement increase.

"After, you know, talking to the commissioners and the county judge and doing our presentation, they agreed that the dispatchers had to be included," Sheriff Trevino said.

The judge says they plan to continue that increase going for law enforcement in the years to come to be able to compete with other local agencies.

The new salary kicks in on October 1.

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