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Sheriff's request to raise starting deputy pay tabled until budget season
Summary
The county sheriff asked the council to raise the probationary deputy starting salary from about $63,000 to about $67,000 to aid recruiting; the council voted to table the request until the budget process amid SB1 revenue uncertainty.
The sheriff asked the council to increase the base annual starting salary for a probationary deputy from roughly $63,000 to roughly $67,000, saying recruiting is poor compared with Indiana State Police and neighboring agencies and that the modest increase would cost the county about $11,000 in 2025 and about $21,000 in 2026 if approved.
The sheriff described a two-pronged recruiting strategy that included a new advertising campaign and a higher posted starting salary; he said the advertised increases were timed to coincide with billboards, radio and other ads. Council members raised concerns about the county's constrained revenue outlook after SB1 and asked whether transfers or existing vacant lines could cover the partial-year cost in 2025.
After discussion the council voted to table the salary change request until the budget season. The sheriff said he would comply with the council's direction and that tabling would mean the department's advertising campaign would begin using the current (lower) posted pay until the issue is revisited.
Ending: Council members signaled they were sympathetic to public-safety recruitment needs but unwilling to commit new recurring pay without clearer revenue guidance.
