Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sheriff Salary topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Frederick delegation adopts 82.5% benchmark of state's attorney pay for next sheriff salary after extensive debate
Summary
After extended discussion and a work‑group review, the Frederick County delegation voted by roll call to set the next county sheriff's salary at 82.5% of the state's attorney salary (to be confirmed with COLA treatment); the motion passed 11–2 with one absence reported.
The Frederick County delegation voted Friday to set the county sheriff’s salary at 82.5% of the state's attorney salary for purposes of drafting a delegation bill, following extensive debate about comparability, county policing structures and whether the county or state should set the pay.
Sen. Fulton reported on a work group that examined peer counties and options tying the sheriff’s pay to either a circuit court judge or the state's attorney. Several members urged a figure that would reduce repeated revisits to the question and suggested attaching a cost‑of‑living (COLA) mechanism so the salary would not require frequent legislative fixes. At one point members referenced a prior delegation‑approved measure, Senate Bill 746 (2022), that had set an earlier phased increase but failed to pass in the House.
Delegates discussed multiple comparators: the delegation was given staff calculations that 80% of the state's attorney's salary would be $178,566, 85% would be $189,726 and 90% would be about $200,008. After an initial motion that started at 85%, members negotiated an interim compromise and agreed to press a filing at 82.5% and to confirm whether COLAs and prior statutory increases needed to be folded into the figure. Chair Delegate Pippy said staff would verify the numbers and COLA treatment before the bill is finalized and filed to meet the filing deadline.
A roll‑call vote followed a motion and second; the transcript records 11 yes votes and 2 nays, with at least one legislator absent. Delegation members who cast recorded “no” votes voiced concern about timing and the optics of a large raise during a period of fiscal pressure; supporters said the sheriff’s office had gone many years without an increase and that the position’s responsibilities and county growth justified the change.
The delegation tasked staff to file a bill at the agreed percentage and to return next Friday with confirmed numbers and clarified COLA language.
