Pitt County restores twice-year clothing allowance for non-uniform deputies after contentious debate over receipts

The Pitt County Board of Commissioners on July 21 voted to restore the county's prior practice of paying a clothing allowance in two installments each year to deputies who do not wear a traditional uniform, despite a proposal from county staff to require receipts and process reimbursements more frequently.

Sheriff Vance explained the operational reasons investigators and specialized deputies use business or nontraditional uniforms and said the allowance helps cover clothing that serves as their professional attire and sometimes job-specific protective clothing. "When you look at people in business attire, you kinda look at these people and say, 'Oh goodness, that person knows what they're talking about,'" the sheriff said during the presentation, describing how investigators appear in court and in field work. He said non-uniform deputies sometimes work in conditions that can ruin business clothes and that prior practice provided $1,100 per year (payable as $550 every six months).

County management proposed requiring receipts to support reimbursements and discussed administrative options for collecting and processing receipts, citing the need for documentation to support budgeted expenditures for auditing. Manager Gallagher said her objective was to ensure every expenditure in the budget is backed by receipts when audited.

Commissioners debated the trade-offs: some said monthly or quarterly receipt-based reimbursements would reduce the financial burden on deputies who must buy clothing in advance; others said retaining the prior biannual payment without receipts reduced administrative burden and honored longstanding practice. Commissioner comments reflected concern both for the county's audit trail and for timely reimbursement of employees.

After a substitute motion to require monthly receipts and expedite reimbursements failed on a board vote, commissioners approved a motion to restore the previous two-times-per-year payment structure without a receipt requirement. The board recorded that the $1,100 annual maximum remained in the budget and encouraged the sheriff's office to retain receipts as internal documentation; no ordinance change was enacted.

Practical effect: Eligible deputies who do not wear a standard uniform will receive the clothing allowance in two payments as in prior years. Commissioners and staff said they may revisit administrative procedures for documenting the allowance in future budget cycles if needed.