Davidson County deputies and supervisors press commissioners over pay compression; board seeks more data

Dozens of Davidson County Sheriff’s Office employees told the Board of Commissioners on June 5 that they are losing staff and morale to neighboring agencies and asked commissioners to correct pay compression and recognize prior law-enforcement experience in pay calculations.

The appeals came during the public-address portion and a later budget discussion, where sheriff’s personnel described long hours, on-the-job injuries and promotional pay that in some cases trails pay for deputies they supervise. County Manager Casey Smith outlined an approach to slot affected employees into correct pay steps and to raise starting pay for recruit classes, but the board deferred any decision and asked staff for more numbers and verification.

The issue matters because commissioners are drafting the county budget and must decide whether to allocate additional general-fund dollars now, phase increases over multiple years or ask voters for a revenue change. Staff said a full fix of countywide compression would cost millions; more limited corrections aimed at deputies and detention officers would cost roughly in the low six figures.

Sheriff Richie Simmons opened public comments by telling commissioners the office is “at a crossroads” and warning that “great qualified members from our agency are being taken by other agencies around us.” Multiple first-line supervisors and detention officers described similar losses of experience and long shifts. Lieutenant Bridal Willis said he and other first-line supervisors are “boots on the ground” who “answer calls” and are treated differently than higher-ranking command staff. “These personnel matter,” Willis said.

Several speakers gave specific examples. A detention sergeant said supervisors often remain on the housing units 24 hours and are doing duties similar to non-supervisory officers while receiving lower pay; another speaker said he sometimes works 110 hours per pay period. Former captain Mike Burns, who has worked in county law enforcement and has been involved in prior pay studies, told commissioners the county had estimated a multi-year, $3.5 million plan to address pay compression and that a complete fix might cost “$7,000,000 or $8,000,000.”

Smith described how commissioners’ recent decision to give a countywide cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and a $500 stipend would be applied, and he summarized a committee’s proposal to: (1) slot a subset of 14–16 deputies and detention officers into pay steps that reflect prior experience, and (2) increase starting pay and add a 2-percentage-point band for lower job classes to improve recruitment. Smith said slotting those identified would cost roughly in the low six figures; moving starting pay as proposed would raise the net recruitment budget by about $250,000. He warned that fully correcting all compression now would exceed the county’s near-term budget capacity.

Several commissioners praised public safety personnel and said they wanted to be fair, but none moved to adopt immediate countywide changes on the floor. Commissioner Tripp Kester urged staff to provide verified Orbit retirement reports (the county payroll/retirement records) and precise cost estimates before the board votes. Chair Yates said he expected additional numbers before the board makes a final decision.

The board did not take formal action on pay changes at the meeting. Staff were directed to verify years-of-service records for the employees named in the committee list, produce revised cost estimates (including the fiscal impact of extending the 2% band to first-line supervisors), and return to the board with options for phased implementation.

If commissioners approve a phased plan, the county would apply an already-discussed COLA and stipend in July and could add targeted slotting and recruitment increases later in the fiscal year; no vote on specific raises was taken June 5.

Speakers who testified at the meeting included the sheriff and more than a dozen rank-and-file and supervisory staff. Several warned that if pay compression persists, employees will leave and the county could face longer emergency response times and higher training costs for replacements.

The board later moved to closed session on unrelated matters and gave staff direction on verification and follow-up; commissioners said they would revisit the pay recommendations once staff produce the requested documentation.