Texas / Public Utility Commission of Texas

Agency file

Public Utility Commission of Texas

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

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

In 2026, this agency had 283 employees with median total compensation of $99,228; the highest distinct record was $265,000.

Year: 2026
Total payroll: $32.1M
Employees: 283
Median total: $99,228
Highest record: $265,000

What the records show

Compensation analytics

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

Salary distribution

$52,992$249,192+

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

How 2026 total compensation is spread across the 283 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($99,228) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $113,428 (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

$66,156

$80,232

$99,228

$134,349

$181,018

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $181,018 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $66,156. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

14 · $137,223

10 · $64,170

9 · $182,340

9 · $155,566

9 · $76,680

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	$29.7M —	263 —	$100,656 —
2026	$32.1M ▲ 8.0%	283 ▲ 7.6%	$99,228 ▼ 1.4%

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.

Office of Public Utility Counsel Texas69% match
Attorney General's Office South Carolina62% match
Public Defender City and County of San Francisco61% match
Office of Administrative Law California60% match
District Attorney Allegheny County, Pennsylvania56% match
Public Defender Council, Georgia Georgia53% match

Record list

Employees

Page 1

David Smeltzer

General Counsel IV/Public Utility Commission of Texas

2026 total comp

$223,770

Base pay: $223,770
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $223,770
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: P

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 3524
Hire Date: Nov 1, 2013
Monthly Pay: $18,648
State Employee Number: 92927

David Smeltzer works as a General Counsel IV for Public Utility Commission of Texas. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. David earned $223,770 in 2026.

Jena Abel

General Counsel IV/Public Utility Commission of Texas

2026 total comp

$222,727

Base pay: $222,727
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $222,727
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: R

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 3524
Hire Date: Jun 26, 2023
Monthly Pay: $18,561
State Employee Number: 3503

Jena Abel holds the role of General Counsel IV at Public Utility Commission of Texas. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $222,727.

Mark Hovenkamp

General Counsel IV/Public Utility Commission of Texas

2026 total comp

$220,107

Base pay: $220,107
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $220,107
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 3524
Hire Date: Feb 1, 2008
Monthly Pay: $18,342
State Employee Number: 51968

Mark Hovenkamp works as a General Counsel IV for Public Utility Commission of Texas. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. Mark earned $220,107 in 2026.

Hunter Burkhalter

General Counsel IV/Public Utility Commission of Texas

2026 total comp

$220,107

Base pay: $220,107
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $220,107
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: W

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 3524
Hire Date: May 14, 2018
Monthly Pay: $18,342
State Employee Number: 171018

Hunter Burkhalter works as a General Counsel IV for Public Utility Commission of Texas. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. Hunter earned $220,107 in 2026.

Richard Parsons

Director VII/Public Utility Commission of Texas

2026 total comp

$216,972

Base pay: $216,972
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $216,972
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: D

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1626
Hire Date: Jan 1, 2022
Monthly Pay: $18,081
State Employee Number: 180958

Richard Parsons is a Director VII at Public Utility Commission of Texas. They work crf - classified regular full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $216,972.