Representatives of the Potter County Law Enforcement Association asked the commissioners to approve larger pay increases for sheriff's-office employees, warning that five employees had already applied for higher-paying positions elsewhere and saying sustained turnover would reduce service levels.

Speakers and claims: a representative told the court the sheriff's office appreciated a proposed 1.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment but said that fell short of the regional consumer‑price index and market rates. The association asked commissioners to publicly support a larger pay package and suggested the court could include all or some requested raises in the budget now.

Why they urged action: presenters argued that losing trained deputies increases recruitment, training and service-delivery costs and that neighboring jurisdictions have raised salaries (including voter-approved tax increases in some cities) to retain staff. The sheriff's representatives said turnover is already affecting operations and that failing to act would have direct service consequences for citizens (longer response times, fewer vacation home checks and other services).

Budget context: the public appeal took place during a broader court discussion about whether to raise the county tax rate and how to use fund balance. County staff and commissioners reiterated caution about using recurring fund balance to cover ongoing salary increases, saying one-time fund-balance uses are more prudent and that projecting sales‑tax revenue and interest income is uncertain.

Court options and next steps: speakers asked commissioners to include some or all of the requested raises in the budget. Commissioners asked for numbers broken down to per‑household impact and discussed the tax-rate tradeoffs; one commissioner estimated a 5.5 percent tax rate increase would cost a homeowner of a $200,000 house roughly $5.43 per month. The transcript captures strong public and employee appeals, the sheriff's office statements and commissioners' requests for further modeling and a public hearing timeline but does not show a final adoption of a larger salary increase in the excerpt.

Why it matters: sheriff-office staffing levels and compensation choices affect public safety, response times and county payroll budgets; commissioners face a policy choice between raising taxes, reallocating funds or using reserve balances to fund raises.