El Paso County Chief Administrator Betsy Keller forgoes pay raise amid budget constraints
December 22, 2025
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Amid budget constraints, El Paso County Chief Administrator Betsy Keller opted to forgo a pay raise and any contract changes following a successful annual performance evaluation.
The El Paso County Commissioners Court discussed the annual evaluation in executive session last week then voted to enter the “successful” evaluation into the record for the top administrator. No other action was taken on the review. The motion was approved unanimously with El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego not present for the vote.
With the exception of sheriff’s officers and others under collective bargaining agreements, the county has not approved pay raises for employees for the last two fiscal years due to budget constraints.
Keller said the same applies to her salary.
“That’s just my personal leadership preference … I would not feel good about getting a wage change when our employees didn’t get a wage change,” Keller said.
Keller’s starting pay was $186,455 when she was hired as chief administrator in 2016 and is now about $295,000. In comparison, El Paso City Manager Dionne Mack earns about $359,000 annually.
There was little discussion after the court’s Dec. 15 vote, but Commissioner Sergio Coronado expressed gratitude for Keller’s work.
“I think we are very, very fortunate, (and) thankful that Betsy is employed with the county and everything that she does to improve our organization,” Coronado said.
Keller thanked Coronado and the other commissioners.
“It’s an honor, and it never feels like work to me. I cannot wait to get here every day and if it weren’t for my spouse, I’m not sure if I’d go home every day,” Keller said jokingly.
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Keller, an Alamogordo native and the county’s first woman chief administrator, was hired in 2008 as human resources director. She was named assistant chief administrator when the county developed the county administrator’s office in 2015. She was hired as the permanent chief administrator in April 2016 – and will mark her 10th anniversary in the role next year.
While there’s no formal evaluation form or scoring sheet, Keller said her performance review includes reviewing accomplishments and challenges that she makes note of throughout the year. She meets with commissioners individually, then collectively, before the commissioners discuss her review among themselves.
Keller provided her salary and employment contracts to El Paso Matters and said that, in some ways, she “hates” evaluations.
“But in other ways, I do love hearing things like, ‘What can we do better? And what do you want us to focus on? Or what is something we can improve on’ because it just makes us better for El Paso,” Keller said.
She said some of the highlights over the last year include the management of the voter-approved bond measures.
Voters in November 2024 approved three county bond proposals totaling about $155 million for park improvements, a new medical examiner’s office and the county’s first animal shelter. Keller said the management and progress on the bond has been a success so far. The first bond project, which upgraded field lights at the El Paso County Sportspark on the Eastside, was completed Dec. 11. The county also developed a dashboard for the community to check the progress of the projects.
Keller said she wants to improve communication with the public and with the news media by being more accessible and attending public events such as ribbon cuttings and community meetings. The county’s communications division was implemented about four years ago, she said.
“I kind of hate to call it an area to improve on because I do think we’ve improved, but we have a ways to go,” Keller said. “I think public accountability is so critical for (myself) and the Commissioners Court is consistently asking for public transparency and accountability.”
Keller said other improvements have to be looked at in ways that will not impact the budget, such as repurposing positions rather than creating new ones.
As chief administrator, Keller helps manage the $653 million county budget and oversees about 3,100 employees in 21 departments, which exclude those that are elected or appointed offices such as the sheriff and county clerk.
She reports to the five-member Commissioners Court, including the county judge, and is responsible for day-to-day operations as directed by the court.
Contract terms, amendments over the years
Keller’s initial employment contract included a clause that her salary could be increased by the Commissioners Court based on a successful performance evaluation or compensation study – but that she would not automatically receive pay raises other county employees received.
Her employment agreement has been amended four times over the years, including twice in her first year.
In 2016, the contract was amended to stipulate that pay raises were not to be based on her annual performance evaluation or pay-grade studies. The clause that she would not automatically receive any pay raises that other non-uniform employees receive remained, except for step pay raises or cost of living adjustments.
In 2018, her contract was amended so pay increases would not be automatic but would instead be tied to step pay raises for successful performance evaluations.
In February 2020, her base salary was increased to $235,414, and she was provided a term life insurance policy paid for by the county based on her annual pay rate. Her current salary includes pay raises received by all non-uniform county employees, including cost of living adjustments and wage adjustments over the years.
Keller does not have a term limit for her employment. Her contract states she will be employed with the county until her agreement is terminated by either party.
Her severance pay if terminated without cause will be six months salary and six months of the county’s contribution to her health benefits and retirement benefits – the same payout if she resigns. If she terminates her employment with 60 days notice she gets all accrued unpaid salary and accrued unused vacation leave, documents show.
This article first appeared on El Paso Matters and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
