Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Moffat County commissioners approve pay increases for sheriff’s office staff
Summary
The Moffat County Board of County Commissioners approved a compensation package May 27 to raise pay across the sheriff’s office to address recruitment and retention, with patrol and detention staff receiving the largest increases.
Moffat County commissioners voted May 27 to approve a compensation package for employees of the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office aimed at stemming turnover and improving recruitment.
County human resources staff presented the proposal and told commissioners the request was driven by ‘‘ongoing challenges in recruitment’’ and by staff leaving for higher wages in neighboring counties. The county said the package would give most patrol staff a roughly 20% increase, place detention deputies within that same 20% range, and provide other employees increases up to 10%, with the smallest raises around 5%.
The package’s presenter said the increases respond to ‘‘a high increased staff turnover’’ and overtime burdens that have required current employees to fill extra shifts and forgo time off. Undersheriff Chip told commissioners, ‘‘we found that we are the lowest paid law enforcement agency in that 3 county region,’’ and said the county was losing workers who could ‘‘just walk across the hall and work in the same place.’’
Commissioners and the sheriff’s office discussed staffing levels during the presentation. A commissioner noted the county is statutorily allocated 11 patrol positions but that the agency is ‘‘running lean’’ and currently had eight on patrol, not counting one deputy in the academy. Presenters said the jail was also short-staffed.
A commissioner moved to approve the compensation package as presented; another commissioner seconded. When the board called the vote, commissioners responded ‘‘Aye’’ and the chair said, ‘‘Motion carries.’’ The agenda and meeting transcript do not show a roll-call tally by name.
The county did not provide a projected budgetary total for the raises during the meeting, and the finance director who prepared the numbers was not present. Commissioners and sheriff’s office representatives said the department controls how it spends its approved budget but that the increases are intended to retain experienced personnel and improve public safety coverage.
The payment adjustments take effect as part of the county’s personnel actions after the board’s approval; no implementation date was specified during the meeting.
The board moved on to other business after the vote; commissioners did not identify follow-up steps such as a required budget amendment vote or a schedule showing when individual employee pay changes would appear on payroll.
