[{"_1":2,"_97":-5,"_98":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,85],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6254719,"mediaKeyId","3169579-de0cb6a3b5fb2178d7a2aefea6bae6c1","parentId",3169579,"title","Sheriff warns of staffing losses and asks for raises as commissioners debate removing holiday overtime pay","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",2607000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3169579-de0cb6a3b5fb2178d7a2aefea6bae6c1&start=2607&end=2607","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3169579-de0cb6a3b5fb2178d7a2aefea6bae6c1/thumbnail_2607000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6254719/Tennessee/Sheriff-warns-of-staffing-losses-and-asks-for-raises-as-commissioners-debate-removing-holiday-overtime-pay","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6254719-d63340b936a873c6247ec3b84647aaaa/orig.mp4?Expires=1775038840&Signature=FGl1bFSiYXlVjEFeV0fJyTiDJ52pDLAavJZvLApA~8gx0Gy3EygLZxHasAp~X58QwGNkU-xOUwTzMByoZYAsX8XGywhfS6vpKRzGqoetmmfSQcwAmlHEBgG3DqIKFy~zmBH76CT6csJeHV4BPzr33jwoGYFu3dNy6KEf69h-o1V8lGLy5lLe5m63i-SWxGFlfDpeNX3sUJip4HkJ~pYWo9eUHbZcNofwJ3ik13TtXtH2fC78B83wwAX2tR9xcXV9Ly-6zWPN77paehqC60uTfVuZeuo9eHL2MTX0rZHIVIHOJ33ddJgu2YrEJRrD0GLNHZKZ97amc0bvxU8uqM-c2A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Hartsville/Trousdale County, TN","date","2025-05-01T18:04:15.463Z","article","Sheriff Russell told the First Response Services Committee that the county is losing deputies and corrections staff to neighboring jurisdictions offering substantially higher pay and urged commissioners to consider a 10% raise for departmental employees; the committee also heard heated objections to a personnel-committee proposal to exclude holidays from overtime-calculation, which critics said would reduce take-home pay for already hard-to-retain staff.

Sheriff Russell described recent departures and pay competition: “3 deputies have quit in the last month and a half... The 1 went to Gallup to start out $10 more an hour, and the 1 went to Lafayette started out $3 something more an hour with guaranteed raise of 50¢ a year for next 8 years plus cost of living.” He said the county’s starting correctional-officer pay of $16.68 is well behind nearby counties and requested a 10% across-the-board increase for his employees, noting that even that would likely leave the department behind some neighbors.

A commissioner strongly opposed proposed language from the personnel committee that would remove holidays from overtime calculations, saying the change would cut pay for sheriff’s department and EMS employees. The commissioner said personnel voted to send the change to the full commission and that committee members who earlier opposed the measure were removed from the personnel committee: “Basically... the personnel committee voted all but 1 to send it to the full body to remove a particular sentence in this new wording... This simply takes away anywhere from 52¢ an hour up to a dollar an hour for sheriff department employees and EMS. This is unacceptable.”

Another commissioner said removing the holiday overtime provision would worsen retention and vowed not to support the proposal when it comes before the full commission: “I don't see where that's a good idea... I know I'm... not gonna vote for it.”

Sheriff Russell also raised operational costs tied to housing and transporting inmates from prison cases and out-of-county holds, including unpaid medical bills for inmates who require hospital transport while in custody. He described an instance in which the department received a $6,000 hospital bill after transporting a person who seized while in custody.

The committee did not adopt a final policy on holiday overtime at the meeting; the personnel-committee proposal was reported and opponents signaled they would oppose it at full commission hearings. The sheriff's request for pay increases was recorded as a budget concern to be considered in upcoming budget deliberations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","20250428 First Response Services","oneSentenceSummary","Sheriff Russell outlined staffing shortages and requested a 10% pay increase for employees; a separate personnel-committee proposal to stop counting holidays as time worked for overtime sparked sharp objections from a commissioner and others.","taxTitle","First Response Services Committee Meetings, Trousdale County, Tennessee","taxId",78451,"location","Tennessee","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":42,"_43":78,"_45":78,"_46":79,"_48":80,"_50":81,"_52":82,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":83,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":84,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6254722,"Committee forwards volunteer pay increase, accepts $11,800 Enbridge grant for fire equipment",906000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3169579-de0cb6a3b5fb2178d7a2aefea6bae6c1&start=906&end=906","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3169579-de0cb6a3b5fb2178d7a2aefea6bae6c1/thumbnail_906000.jpg","/articles/6254722/Tennessee/Committee-forwards-volunteer-pay-increase-accepts-11800-Enbridge-grant-for-fire-equipment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6254722-794ba760c83f4f063ec3df969d43ae43/orig.mp4?Expires=1775038840&Signature=MTjwG6wVoZwBUuaFwb1kPKZQVWRPf1SJwxCVe3VyWa3f82lkTgBcfVuBpqL-d-jCZztigKcemXWYHhIkgynn0RKo83taWsiKSTr1PzwL5-4Ka5zgqA5ptOpZKqn3xuRAt6T5LL6MiJBXShgXqSpoP9oxUsAQ91t3O-pvSZTQIKgvrTHJXCL60xZIFaRveKxZ1L1Rx3DnqvAvIf30Q~54qFdryzSda1OeTkL-H~fl09lAxhPMLnaE0MvcdVYYCq4wj6MmG43naF4EUzlM-Qym~qe-IPrLdtdoE3mC7jRcaSX5ojqn3V2WYsLmeIyHwZ5p3rBYeAyBR8pTVUyyxqEaIg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The First Response Services Committee voted to forward a request to raise volunteer emergency responder pay to the county budget with a favorable recommendation and heard updates on recent grants for equipment and training.

A fire department representative asked the committee to consider increasing volunteer pay from $30 per call to $50 per call, noting the rate has not changed since February 2016: “I ask you to consider, raising the volunteers' pay from $30 a call to $50 a call. We asked for this increase last year and did not get it... The volunteer pay has not changed, since 02/2016.”

A committee member moved to forward the request to the budget with a favorable recommendation: “I'll move to forward it to a budget with a favorable recommendation,” the member said. The chair called for the vote and recorded ayes; the motion was forwarded.

Separately, the fire department representative told the committee the department requested funds from Enbridge in the form of a grant for radio upgrades, gas-detection meters and gated hydrant valves and had received confirmation of award: “So we'll get $11,800 from Enbridge this year to take care of those needs without dipping into our county reserve.”

Rescue leadership reported a previously discussed grant award of $52,100 and said the unit is getting quotes for new protective gear and equipment. Rescue staff also said members are scheduled for swift-water training and had joined a mutual-aid training organization to lower training costs.

The committee did not adopt a final budget at the meeting; it forwarded the volunteer-pay request to the county budget process for further consideration. Other budget items discussed included brush-truck repairs expected back by month-end and routine pump inspections completed in March.","The committee moved a volunteer pay increase request to the budget with a favorable recommendation and heard that the fire department will receive $11,800 from Enbridge for radios, gas-detection meters and hydrant valves; rescue reported a separate $52,100 grant for gear.",{"_33":86,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":87,"_41":88,"_43":89,"_45":90,"_46":91,"_48":92,"_50":93,"_52":94,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":95,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":96,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6254727,"Committee reviews emergency alerts, warns sirens are limited and shelter plans hampered by floodplain rules",140,138000,278000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3169579-de0cb6a3b5fb2178d7a2aefea6bae6c1&start=138&end=278","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3169579-de0cb6a3b5fb2178d7a2aefea6bae6c1/thumbnail_138000.jpg","/articles/6254727/Tennessee/Committee-reviews-emergency-alerts-warns-sirens-are-limited-and-shelter-plans-hampered-by-floodplain-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6254727-6ab1279912e2a5ade7e624c19ce429f0/orig.mp4?Expires=1775038840&Signature=XVDtXM7CHj6ULfMG8LNrgzPYj2B1-FmlGgmt~C77Gq38JGXTzKQXc5-47MDb4~lIJ72r0-Zr~FFF9IwHg8KwjHWC0dxyBG1X9J4-XwVPm45JhFqS7-nRhnKD9AnKYPFnror5~G1~fEmaoyCDV8zI5doBMX0YMGPYMJtBWCNa268wJLecWZCVEqtNIpbdild0CBHXK3fQiTzPDLVT0hzD1rnepDHmemnGzKoLuigwTHXAogWbkTD3xr9RWPFZSxNbj3ifjh-ymrVxFWBvEI0OXlg-J39gaMooUZl9Vm5yOAKcVrAGZTIa-H--hp8JZDQN~PvA9Ri6qT8d14RT5EaRRA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the First Response Services Committee discussed emergency notification methods and short-term shelter options following recent severe-weather activity, concluding that outdoor sirens have limited reach and that two local buildings cannot receive federal retrofit funds because they are in a flood plain.

The committee heard from Matt Beatty, who described the challenges of converting the sheriff’s station basement into a federally funded shelter: “We can't get funding from it for federal funding anyways because it's in a flood plain,” he said. He and other speakers encouraged residents to rely on multiple alert methods rather than sirens alone.

A 9-1-1 district representative described the county’s HyperReach reverse-911 system and how residents can sign up: “The HyperReach system is maintained by the 9 1 1 district... and there's a link on our Facebook page. There's also a link on the county website under the metro police section. You'll see there it says sign up for alerts, and you can go to that sign up page, put your cell phone number into your address, and those alerts are sent out according to the map or the area that's in danger.”

Committee member Linda Bruce said many residents lack awareness of the sign-up options and urged broader outreach: “Not everyone knows about these opportunities... some people don't have Facebook and stuff like that. So if they're... advertised or flyers or newspaper radio... that might be a thought.”

A fire department representative explained why a single siren covers only a limited area and reiterated the agency's preferred approach: “Sirens really don't work in an area unless you have a cluster of multiples of them so that more people can hear... A single siren... only alerts a very limited number of people and has a very limited reach. The weather apps, the HyperReach, these things are a better alternative for our folks.”

Committee members also discussed informal sheltering that has occurred at the sheriff’s station. The 9-1-1 district representative said that during the most recent severe weather, “there were 40 or 50 people in the basement of the station. We don't advertise it as a shelter, but it's open to anyone that doesn't have anywhere to go.” Speakers stressed that FEMA distinguishes between a short-term “safe place” (a nearby protected room) and a longer-term shelter suitable for days or weeks, which requires different building standards and typically cannot be funded if located in a flood plain.

The committee did not adopt a new shelter program or vote on capital funding during the meeting. Members discussed outreach strategies, including newspaper ads, periodic tests and public service announcements, and asked staff to continue public information efforts about signing up for HyperReach and other notification tools.","Committee discussed limits of outdoor sirens, promoted HyperReach reverse-911 alerts, and said proposed shelter space at the sheriff’s station and community center cannot qualify for federal retrofit grants because both lie in a flood plain.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Sheriff warns of staffing losses and asks for raises as commissioners debate removing holiday overtime pay

Committee forwards volunteer pay increase, accepts $11,800 Enbridge grant for fire equipment

Committee reviews emergency alerts, warns sirens are limited and shelter plans hampered by floodplain rules