Sheriff proposes replacing cash sign‑on bonuses with leave balances for lateral hires; commissioners press for budget and tracking details

Sheriff’s office staff proposed on June 3 that Spokane County replace the prior cash sign‑on bonus program with an upfront leave‑balance incentive for lateral law‑enforcement hires. The proposal would not give entry‑level hires a bonus; laterals would receive an upfront vacation and sick‑leave balance rather than cash. Initial proposal numbers discussed were 180 hours of vacation and 180 hours of sick leave; commissioners and staff discussed reducing those amounts to 120 hours each for lateral hires with five or more years’ prior service.

Todd Milke, a sheriff’s office presenter, said the existing practice had paid cash bonuses (historically $25,000 for laterals and $10,000 for entry level) and that the new approach would place a leave balance on employees’ records but restrict access to sellback for two years to reduce the risk of immediate cash payouts. Milke said the office wants to “incentivize” lateral hires while limiting upfront cash impact: he framed the change as a way to replace the cash value with a leave balance that new hires could use but not immediately cash out.

Commissioners and county staff raised implementation and budget questions. Human‑resources and payroll staff said PeopleSoft does not currently support the exact approach without manual work; after migration to Workday the county could create a separate balance code but tracking would remain partially manual. Commissioners asked whether the change would be budget neutral; presenters said the proposal would not request additional county dollars now and that the incentive would be funded by leave balances rather than cash payments, but they acknowledged the county may incur indirect costs (overtime or temporary coverage) if new hires use leave early.

Commissioners also asked about likely lateral volumes; presenters said recent hiring success reduced vacancies from roughly 40 officials last year to only one or two current vacancies, and they estimated five to ten laterals per year at most under typical conditions. Commissioners and staff discussed potential overtime effects and said that discretionary leave tends not to drive the largest overtime costs, which they attributed to mandatory training, sick leave and injuries.

Detention and juvenile units remain areas of recruitment need; staff indicated detention continues to need sign‑on assistance. Presenters said the county would bring back statistics on how many hires used earlier cash bonuses and would return with a recommended final structure. No final board vote was recorded at the briefing. Commissioners asked the sheriff’s office to consult with the sheriff on a revised plan (including a possible 120‑hour sick and 120‑hour vacation model for laterals with five or more years’ experience), and to return with tracking and budget impacts for board review.

Ending — The board requested the sheriff’s office: 1) consult with the sheriff on a proposed final structure (staff said the sheriff favored leave balances), 2) provide data on prior bonus recipients, and 3) present tracking and full budget impact (including buyout and overtime scenarios) before formal adoption.