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Merit deputies urge council to approve negotiated pay contract, warning of staffing losses
Summary
Representatives of the Madison County Merit Deputies urged the council to appropriate funding for a negotiated salary and benefit agreement, saying failure to approve the contract would worsen recruitment and retention and reduce experienced staffing for critical calls.
Representatives of the Madison County Merit Deputies told the council at Thursday’s budget session that deputies have negotiated in good faith with county commissioners and seek council support to fund an agreed salary package.
A speaker identified in the transcript as Mason Bridal, speaking for the Madison County Merit Deputies, described months of negotiation and said deputies continued to perform operational duties even after bargaining stalls. He said the group reached an agreement with the commissioners in March 2025 and asked the council to appropriate resources so the contract could be funded.
“If this council is content with filling those boots with warm bodies, eventually, that’s exactly what you’ll get,” Mason Bridal said. “If this council is content with filling police cars with people who barely meet our minimum hiring standards, eventually, that’s what you’re going to get.” He added that deputies seek competitive pay to retain and recruit personnel with experience and training and warned that failing to fund the agreement would cause “significant manpower and recruitment consequences for years to come.”
Council members acknowledged the urgency but said they must balance the request against the county’s wider 2026 revenue shortfall and other unavoidable costs discussed earlier in the meeting, including election expenses and changing state tax rules. Council President Green said staff must return with a revised budget that incorporates contractual obligations and available revenues before the council can commit to additional recurring expenses.
The committee did not take a vote on the contract at the meeting. Council members directed staff to include the deputy contract costs in the revised budget workpapers and to present options for covering the expense (for example, use of public safety fund offsets, PSAP revenues if enacted, or one‑time funds for transition costs).
