Supervisors direct cleanup of sheriff's office pay policy amid recruitment concerns

Supervisors discussed proposed cleanup to the county personnel policy that covers pay for sheriff's office employees, focusing on language that currently ties part-time pay to discretionary employer decisions and may hinder recruitment of experienced applicants.

A speaker raised concerns that the policy, as written, treats part-time and new employees differently and could result in experienced applicants starting at a wage well below peers. The board discussed changing the language from “part-time employee pay will be dependent on experience and left to the discretion of the employer” to language that covers new employees generally and ties starting pay to the county pay schedule.

Supervisors emphasized the need to avoid retroactive changes for current employees while ensuring the county can offer competitive starting pay when hiring. One supervisor asked that county legal counsel or human-resources staff (referred to during the meeting) review proposed wording; another suggested running draft language by counsel at Ehlers before adoption.

Board members agreed to place revised policy language on next week’s agenda for review and asked staff to provide exact draft language and confirm whether changes would affect current employees. The board also noted the personnel policy contains other inconsistencies — such as references to deputies and civil deputies but not road deputies — and that a more comprehensive cleanup may be warranted.