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Sheriff presses board for pay increases to retain deputies; staff urges caution on recurring costs
Summary
Sheriff told supervisors his department needs mid‑range and top‑out pay adjustments to retain staff and that a $500,000 recurring increase in FY26 (and additional funds in later years) would address retention pressures; county finance staff warned recurring raises without recurring revenue would create structural pressure.
The sheriff told the Board that vacancies remain a central challenge for public safety and urged a compensation package to reduce mid-range and top-out pay compression. The sheriff said recent increases in starting pay helped recruiting but that retention requires higher pay later in deputies’ careers; he estimated a $500,000 FY26 cost to address the immediate mid-range/top-out gap and roughly $180,000 more the next year to complete the adjustment.
Finance staff cautioned that adding recurring personnel costs without a recurring revenue source would threaten the county’s structural balance. Staff noted several alternatives and trade-offs the board can consider: (a) use one-time surplus to partially bridge recurring gaps (not recommended long-term), (b) raise the primary property tax levy (would require a levy increase and statutory schedule), or (c) reallocate recurring funds from other obligations.
Key numbers and context
- Vacancies: The sheriff's office reported approximately seven funded but vacant deputy positions at the time of the presentation; the jail and detention staffing also showed funded vacancies. - Cost per deputy: Staff used a fully loaded cost estimate of roughly $114,000 per deputy per year in analysis; the sheriff said filling vacancies requires not only salary but academy and on-the-job training costs. - Recommended funding: The sheriff described $500,000 in recurring FY26 compensation increases as the immediate corrective step; another staff presentation (Option D) showed a more comprehensive deputies compensation package would be about $500,000 in FY26 and escalate to $1.9 million in cumulative costs over three years if fully phased in.
Discussion and direction
Board members expressed sympathy for recruitment and retention problems and asked staff for alternative budget scenarios and revenue assumptions. Finance staff offered to quantify the budgetary impact of small changes to revenue projections and to show how one-time surplus transfers would affect long-term balance.
Ending
Supervisors deferred a final decision pending the tentative budget in June and additional analysis of recurring revenue options but several expressed interest in using part of the surplus and/or modifying revenue assumptions to address retention if a sustainable recurring plan can be identified.
