Sheriff urges pay adjustments to retain deputies; staff warns recurring raises would require revenue boost

The Mohave County Sheriff asked supervisors on April 16 for targeted pay adjustments to address long-running recruitment and retention problems, estimating roughly $500,000 in FY26 and about $180,000 in FY27 would resolve a mid-range/top‑out compression issue and improve retention.

The sheriff said prior actions raised starting pay and produced measurable reductions in vacancies but that remaining mid‑point and top‑of‑scale compression remains a competitive disadvantage versus neighboring agencies. He told the board the $500,000 proposal would correct the remaining compression in year one and would be followed by an additional cost the next year; he described the total multi-year cost of a more aggressive package in other options as much larger.

CFO Luke Mornien and County Manager Andrew Alters responded that any recurring compensation increases must be funded by recurring revenue; otherwise the county would rely on one‑time fund balance to pay a permanent expense. Staff outlined that Option D in the presented budget scenarios — which included a large sheriff pay package and expanded camera costs — would generate a multi-year structural deficit, adding roughly $1.9 million to the FY26 gap and growing in later years.

Vacancies and funded-but-unfilled positions Mornien said the sheriff’s office currently carries several funded vacancies. He reported 7 vacant funded deputy positions as of early April; if existing vacancies roll into FY26, that would produce 8 vacant budgeted deputy positions at the start of FY26. Staff noted that filling funded vacancies produces salary savings only if positions remain empty during the fiscal year; using one‑time vacancy savings to fund recurring raises risks future deficits.

Board reaction and next steps Members expressed sympathy for the sheriff’s recruitment challenges and asked staff for options that would fund targeted increases without undermining structural balance. Chairman Lingenfelter and several supervisors said they were open to considering a portion of the county’s projected FY26 surplus for law‑and‑justice needs, while staff advised that recurring raises require recurring revenue (for example, a levy-rate increase) or ongoing vacancy savings that cannot be guaranteed.

Ending note: The board did not adopt new recurring pay increases during the meeting. The sheriff and finance staff were directed to continue the discussion and model options that preserve long-term budget stability.