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Supervisors review sheriff pay-scale adjustment aimed at filling 41 vacancies
Summary
Staff presented a revised sheriff pay scale that would adjust deputy and other positions to improve recruitment and retention; the proposal would cost about $950,000 to implement and is expected to keep overtime within the recommended FY26 budget.
Spotsylvania County staff and sheriff’s office leaders presented a proposed revision to the sheriff’s pay scale on Monday intended to address recruitment and retention amid high vacancy counts.
Julie, a county budget staff member, said the recommended FY26 budget originally included a placeholder of $1,285,605 for sheriff pay adjustments. Staff later finalized a requested pay-scale adjustment that targets entry-level recruitment and separates deputy sheriff and bailiff positions. The final proposal provides a 4.5% adjustment for deputy sheriff and recruit positions and a roughly 3% adjustment for other positions.
Julie reported there are currently 41 vacant positions in the sheriff’s office, of which 31 are deputy sheriff positions. Staff said the total cost to implement the revised pay scale is $950,000, a savings of $335,000 compared with the placeholder in the recommended budget. Julie also noted the FY26 recommended budget included a $352,000 increase in the sheriff’s overtime budget; with the revised scale, the sheriff’s office is expected to remain within the overtime allocation.
County staff described the pay-scale work as a collaborative effort among human resources, finance, and the sheriff’s office designed to improve competitiveness with neighboring Stafford County and help fill vacancies. Supervisors asked whether the adjustment would address pay compression; staff said the change moves the overall scale without altering step rates except for creating a new PS08 step for deputy sheriffs to separate them from bailiffs.
Supervisors also asked about recruitment incentives. Staff said sign-on bonuses are currently funded from payroll savings and that the board previously agreed to use asset forfeiture funds for certain hires; fuller recruiting strategies would combine the revised pay scale with sign-on bonuses and other tools.
The board did not take a final vote at the work session; staff recommended the board consider the revised pay scale as part of the FY26 adoption process.
