Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Recruiting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sheriff’s bid to raise starting deputy pay tabled until budget season amid SB1 concerns
Summary
The Vanderburgh County sheriff asked the council to raise the starting annual salary for probationary deputies from about $63,000 to roughly $67,000 to improve recruiting. The council voted to table the request until budget hearings for broader revenue clarity, but the sheriff said he may proceed with advertising at the current rate.
The Vanderburgh County sheriff asked the Personnel/Finance Committee to approve a modest increase to the starting salary for probationary deputies — from roughly $63,000 to about $67,000 — saying the change is needed to compete with Indiana State Police and regional law enforcement pay.
“We're simply not able to compete with Indiana State Police's ... pay raises,” the sheriff told the committee, describing a two-pronged recruitment plan that paired targeted advertising with the requested pay increase.
The sheriff said the additional pay would cost the county an estimated $11,000 for the remainder of 2025 and about $21,000 in 2026. He urged approval so his advertising campaign would reflect the higher wage, improving recruitment. The sheriff said the increase would apply to deputies hired within their first year of service and would make Vanderburgh County “highly competitive” in the region.
Council members cited the state’s recently enacted SB1 revenue limits and uncertainty about future county revenues as their reason to delay. Council member Prince moved to table the request until the budget season; the motion carried after discussion. President Schettler supported delaying action until there is clarity about the county’s revenue outlook.
The sheriff said he understood the council’s caution but warned that tabling the pay change would limit the effectiveness of the advertising campaign because the billboards and radio spots would show the lower rate. He said he may still run advertising at the current rate to avoid falling further behind in recruitment.
No formal pay change was approved; the committee directed staff to revisit the request during the budget process.
