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

Janalee Paiz

Director V/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2026 total comp

$143,436

Base pay: $143,436
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $143,436
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: L

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1624
Hire Date: Jul 7, 1994
Monthly Pay: $11,953
State Employee Number: 104490

At Office of Public Utility Counsel, Janalee Paiz serves as a Director V. They work crf - classified regular full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $143,436.

Kourtnee Mcinturf Jinks

Attorney IV/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2026 total comp

$140,292

Base pay: $140,292
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $140,292
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: M

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 3505
Hire Date: Sep 1, 2022
Monthly Pay: $11,691
State Employee Number: 1125135

Kourtnee Mcinturf Jinks holds the role of Attorney IV at Office of Public Utility Counsel. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $140,292.

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.

Sharbel Sfeir

Attorney IV/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2026 total comp

$115,467

Base pay: $115,467
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $115,467
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 3505
Hire Date: Dec 1, 2021
Monthly Pay: $9,622
State Employee Number: 993171

Sharbel Sfeir is a Attorney IV at Office of Public Utility Counsel. They work crf - classified regular full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $115,467.

Michael Martinez

Attorney III/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2026 total comp

$101,292

Base pay: $101,292
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $101,292
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: R

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 3504
Hire Date: Apr 14, 2025
Monthly Pay: $8,441
State Employee Number: 1646065

Michael Martinez works as a Attorney III for Office of Public Utility Counsel. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. Michael earned $101,292 in 2026.

Mary Williams

Government Relations Specialist II/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2025 total comp

$101,115

Base pay: $101,115
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $101,115
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: E

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1892
Hire Date: Jun 17, 2024
Monthly Pay: $8,426
State Employee Number: 82323

Mary Williams is a Government Relations Specialist II at Office of Public Utility Counsel. They work crf - classified regular full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $101,115.

Connor Drysdale

Attorney II/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2026 total comp

$94,848

Base pay: $94,848
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $94,848
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 3503
Hire Date: Aug 13, 2024
Monthly Pay: $7,904
State Employee Number: 1730201

At Office of Public Utility Counsel, Connor Drysdale serves as a Attorney II. They work crf - classified regular full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $94,848.

Carley Oden

Manager III/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2026 total comp

$94,752

Base pay: $94,752
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $94,752
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: R

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1602
Hire Date: Sep 6, 2022
Monthly Pay: $7,896
State Employee Number: 1552759

Carley Oden works as a Manager III for Office of Public Utility Counsel. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. Carley earned $94,752 in 2026.

Annanya Chaturvedi

Attorney II/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2026 total comp

$90,972

Base pay: $90,972
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $90,972
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: S

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 3503
Hire Date: Mar 1, 2025
Monthly Pay: $7,581
State Employee Number: 1393817

Annanya Chaturvedi holds the role of Attorney II at Office of Public Utility Counsel. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $90,972.

William Rurode

Program Specialist VI/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2026 total comp

$82,008

Base pay: $82,008
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $82,008
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: E

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1575
Hire Date: Aug 18, 2025
Monthly Pay: $6,834
State Employee Number: 1795879

William Rurode is a Program Specialist VI at Office of Public Utility Counsel. They work crf - classified regular full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $82,008.

Linda Ruiz

Legal Assistant IV/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2026 total comp

$80,385

Base pay: $80,385
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $80,385
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 3578
Hire Date: Jan 17, 2022
Monthly Pay: $6,699
State Employee Number: 107288

At Office of Public Utility Counsel, Linda Ruiz serves as a Legal Assistant IV. They work crf - classified regular full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $80,385.

Christiana Segura

Attorney II/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2025 total comp

$76,410

Base pay: $76,410
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $76,410
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 3503
Hire Date: Jan 4, 2024
Monthly Pay: $6,368
State Employee Number: 1687220

Christiana Segura holds the role of Attorney II at Office of Public Utility Counsel. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. In 2025, their total compensation was $76,410.

Justin Nichols

Attorney II/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2025 total comp

$76,410

Base pay: $76,410
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $76,410
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 3503
Hire Date: Aug 13, 2024
Monthly Pay: $6,368
State Employee Number: 1731919

Justin Nichols works as a Attorney II for Office of Public Utility Counsel. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. Justin earned $76,410 in 2025.

Louis Newsom

Attorney I/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2026 total comp

$75,688

Base pay: $75,688
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $75,688
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: M

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 3502
Hire Date: Aug 18, 2025
Monthly Pay: $6,307
State Employee Number: 1764633

Louis Newsom is a Attorney I at Office of Public Utility Counsel. They work crf - classified regular full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $75,688.

Carolyn Wheeler

Attorney I/Office of Public Utility Counsel

2026 total comp

$75,688

Base pay: $75,688
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $75,688
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: V

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 3502
Hire Date: Aug 11, 2025
Monthly Pay: $6,307
State Employee Number: 1795880

At Office of Public Utility Counsel, Carolyn Wheeler serves as a Attorney I. They work crf - classified regular full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $75,688.