Harris County Bureaucrats Among America’s Highest-Paid Government Employees

Harris County Bureaucrats Among America’s Highest-Paid Government Employees

By | Texas Scorecard | May 29, 2025

Harris County’s top officials are among the highest-compensated government employees in America, with nine department heads earning more than the U.S. president’s $400,000 salary.

Forty-five county employees now receive compensation that surpasses the $250,600 salary of a U.S. cabinet secretary.

This year, Harris County implemented significant salary increases for several department heads, with some receiving raises exceeding $100,000.

New payroll data obtained through a public information request for the 2024–2025 fiscal year reveals sharp pay raises across infrastructure, public health, and forensic science administrative roles.

Earning the most is Dr. Luis Arturo Sanchez, chief medical examiner and executive director of the Institute of Forensic Sciences, who now earns $536,141—up $90,000 from the previous year.

Other top earners include:

• Leah Barton, interim director of Public Health Services, $456,976—$184,000 more than the previous year

• K. Saifur Rahman, county engineer, $479,835—a $128,000 increase

• Christina Marie Petersen, Flood Control District director, $434,138—up $83,000

• Sindhu Menon, director of Universal Services, $456,976—up $72,000

• Roberto Treviño, executive director of the Toll Road Authority, $485,014—a $42,000 increase

• Jesse Dickerman, interim county administrator, is paid $411,965 following the departure of Diana Ramirez.

• Daniel Ramos-Santana, budget director, is paid a salary of $411,278.

The forensic division continues to dominate the top of the payroll, with Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Pramod Gumpeni making $402,251, and Assistant Deputy Chief Hannah Claire Jarvis earning $354,765.

Overall, the county now has 22,414 employees and an annual payroll of approximately $1.47 billion. Recent compensation actions include $12 million in supplemental raises and an increase in the county’s minimum wage for employees and contractors to $20 an hour.

County commissioners approved raises for administrators, county employees, and contractors before granting increases to county law enforcement under intense public pressure, following significant salary increases granted to Houston Police officers in a deal brokered by Houston Mayor John Whitmire.

These compensation figures underscore the growing financial burden to taxpayers from county governance, even as questions persist about transparency and performance issues.

For example, it took county bureaucrats more than six months to determine that more than 2,000 county employees worked from home, with some living far from Harris County.

Harris County also faces a $270 million deficit according to County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

Public scrutiny over how taxpayer dollars are allocated is likely to intensify—especially as budget season enters full swing in Harris County.

Joseph is a journalist for Texas Scorecard reporting from Houston. With a background in business, Joseph is passionate about covering issues impacting citizens.