Marion County officials discuss revised pay schedule to address staffing shortages in sheriff's office, jail and 911 dispatch

An official at a Marion County personnel meeting said the county's previously circulated cost estimates for a proposed pay adjustment understated the impact and asked the court to consider a new pay schedule for the sheriff's office, the county jail and 911 dispatch.

The official said the difference reported to the committee last week as $58,000 was not accurate and instead said, "It's a $533,000 difference, and that's just salary alone, not counting anything to do with retirement, medical," and that countywide salary obligations would grow from about $6,600,000 to $7,800,000 under the revised figures.

Why it matters: Committee members said low pay has reduced staffing levels in critical public-safety departments, limiting the county's ability to house…