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Sheriff seeks higher probationary pay and marketing money to boost recruitment; council to consider ordinance change in May
Summary
Sheriff Noah Robinson asked the council to raise the probationary deputy pay and fund advertising to recruit deputies amid anticipated retirements; the council did not vote on a salary change and asked the sheriff to return with a formal ordinance amendment.
Sheriff Noah Robinson told the council the sheriff’s office expects a higher-than-normal number of retirements in 2025–2026 and asked for a modest increase in the probationary deputy pay plus funding for a targeted recruitment campaign.
Robinson said raising the probationary pay closer to the one-year deputy rate would make the county more competitive with regional employers. "The cost separation between a probationary sheriff deputy and a one-year deputy ... is about $4,000," he said, adding that the county’s near-term cost for moving probationary deputies closer to the one-year pay scale would be "a little over $5,000" for 2025 to cover existing probationary staff.
Robinson asked the council to authorize a salary-ordinance change planned to take effect in July and also requested an appropriation for advertising — billboards, radio and targeted digital placements with QR codes to link directly to applications. Council members suggested alternatives such as a signing/ hiring bonus or a time-limited stipend, and discussed the tradeoffs of altering base salary versus one-time incentives. The sheriff withdrew the formal ordinance modification request for this meeting and said he would resubmit the proper paperwork in May so the change could take effect in July.
In the same presentation, Robinson said the sheriff’s office has had success with aggressive recruitment advertising for jail positions and expects a similar approach could improve deputy recruitment. He said the office can run a digital-targeted campaign that includes a QR code on billboards to link applicants straight to the county application page.
Robinson also gave a brief project update: construction of the new jail is underway and remains on schedule for a spring 2026 opening, he said. He added that the county has signed a contract with Southwest Behavioral Health to staff a competency-restoration and mental-health unit in the jail; Robinson said the program will begin operations in an interim form before the new facility is ready.
Earlier in the meeting the council approved several sheriff-related appropriations (including payroll and training line items) and a $30,000 appropriation for a commissary match that appears in the appropriation packet; Robinson confirmed that item was processed earlier in the meeting.
No formal vote was taken on the proposed probationary-pay change at Tuesday’s meeting; Robinson said he would return with the correct salary-ordinance modification request and asked the council to consider the timing so any change could be implemented for hires beginning in July.
