Coconino supervisors back county manager pay plan to boost patrol entry wages; sheriff supports shift from incentives to higher starting pay

Coconino County supervisors on May 16 heard a joint presentation from the sheriff and county manager's office recommending adjustments to the sheriff’s office patrol pay plan to raise entry pay and reduce reliance on a multi-year incentive program.

County human resources and the sheriff’s office proposed increasing the recommended patrol entry salary from about $28.25 to about $31.42 (rounded) and making plan changes intended to attract recruits at the job posting stage. The county manager’s balanced budget includes a $600,000 general fund cost for the patrol pay plan adjustments. Sheriff Brett Axland and county staff said they prefer using that money to raise starting pay rather than continuing the previous incentive payout structure for new hires.

Why it matters: supervisors and county managers described recruitment and retention as the primary goal. Board members said they were open to the recommended changes so the sheriff can staff patrol and detention positions and avoid repeated midyear requests for incremental positions.

Key details discussed - Scope: County staff said the figures presented cover positions currently filled at a point-in-time count of about 63 patrol staff and about 83 detention staff (filled positions only; vacancies excluded). The patrol proposal under discussion would change patrol pay ranges and entry rates; detention changes were discussed on May 15 and carried into this review. - Incentive shift: County HR proposed ending the law-enforcement incentive program for new hires (a phased payout designed in prior years that could total about $20,000 over eight years) and using those funds instead to raise the advertised entry salary. The sheriff’s office agreed that a higher entry rate is more effective for attracting applicants than the long-term incentive payout. - Step change: For patrol employees the county manager’s recommendation would “forgo the step” (employees would not advance a step that year) so that the plan yields a net 6% cost instead of the full 10% step/adjustment; detention employees would receive a normal step increase in their plan. - Cost and budget placement: The county manager’s recommended balanced budget includes the $600,000 cost to the general fund for these patrol pay adjustments.

What supervisors said Supervisors repeatedly framed the changes as a pragmatic, county-wide budgeting choice: several board members said they supported the recommendation because the sheriff’s office and the county manager’s office prioritized pay-plan changes over adding new positions. Supervisor Tammy Ontiveras, Supervisor Geronimo Vasquez and others said they were satisfied with the sheriff’s concurrence on prioritizing entry pay and filling vacancies before adding positions.

Unresolved or contingent items County staff and the sheriff noted market pressure remains—Flagstaff Police Department entry and mid-level pay remain higher in some classifications (board members cited a mid-level sergeant step about $30,000 higher than the county’s comparable step). Supervisors and staff said pay remains a multi-jurisdictional market issue and that the county must balance competitiveness against overall county budget constraints.

Ending note Supervisors indicated support for the county manager’s recommended patrol compensation adjustment, and the sheriff publicly endorsed prioritizing competitive starting pay to fill vacancies. The recommendation is included in the county manager’s balanced budget for board consideration at upcoming budget adoption dates.