Texas / Office of Public Utility Counsel

Agency file

Office of Public Utility Counsel

Source file: Texas — State Employee Salaries (Texas Tribune) / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Office of Public Utility Counsel operates public utilities and infrastructure such as water, power, sanitation, or energy services.

In 2026, this agency had 22 employees with median total compensation of $94,800; the highest distinct record was $192,509.

Year: 2026
Total payroll: $2.4M
Employees: 22
Median total: $94,800
Highest record: $192,509

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$54,978$192,509+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2026 total compensation is spread across the 22 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($94,800) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $109,081 (100%)
Overtime — $0 (0%)
Other — $0 (0%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$70,008

$75,688

$94,800

$143,436

$176,839

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $176,839 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $70,008. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

2 · $150,604

2 · $127,880

2 · $92,910

2 · $75,688

1 · $192,509

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2025	$1.6M —	17 —	$78,306 —
2026	$2.4M ▲ 47.6%	22 ▲ 29.4%	$94,800 ▲ 21.1%

Compare

Similar departments

Departments elsewhere with the most similar mix of roles — a proxy for the same kind of agency, matched by workforce composition rather than name. Pay is not cost-of-living adjusted.

Public Defender City and County of San Francisco80% match
Office of Administrative Law California78% match
Eighth Court of Appeals District Texas76% match
District Attorney Allegheny County, Pennsylvania71% match
Public Defender Council, Georgia Georgia68% match
Attorney General's Office South Carolina65% match

Record list

Employees

Page 1

Christopher Gruning

Government Relations Specialist III/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2026 total comp

$120,000

Base pay: $120,000
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $120,000
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1894
Hire Date: Feb 1, 2026
Monthly Pay: $10,000
State Employee Number: 779683

At Office of Public Utility Counsel, Christopher Gruning serves as a Government Relations Specialist III. They work crf - classified regular full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $120,000.

Nabaraj Pokharel

Project Manager IV/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2025 total comp

$119,289

Base pay: $119,289
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $119,289
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1561
Hire Date: Jan 17, 2022
Monthly Pay: $9,941
State Employee Number: 1058671

Nabaraj Pokharel works as a Project Manager IV for Office of Public Utility Counsel. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. Nabaraj earned $119,289 in 2025.