McCracken County sheriff urges COLA fix, incentive pay and two more deputies amid staffing losses

Sheriff Jones presented staffing and compensation concerns to the McCracken County Fiscal Court on Oct. 27, urging changes to the pay grid, modest incentive payments for specific roles and the addition of deputies to meet rising call volume.

Key points Sheriff Jones raised included: comparative starting pay in neighboring agencies (Paducah, Benton, Calvert City and Graves County), recent departures of deputies to higher-paying jurisdictions, and discrepancies caused when cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) were granted to incumbent employees but not applied to the underlying pay grid used for new hires.

He described the operational effect: the office handles much higher call volume than in prior years and occasionally has only three or four deputies on duty to cover the county’s roughly 262 square miles; he described episodes when a deputy took 20 calls in six hours or when a collision required a 45-minute wait for an available deputy.

On remedies, Jones recommended: - Integrate COLA into the official pay grid so new hires receive current purchasing-power-based pay rather than starting beneath incumbents who received COLA increases. - Add modest incentive pay categories for roles that require extra work or specialized skills: field training officers (FTO), drone operators, and broadened “critical skills” instructor pay that would cover firearms, less-lethal, taser, driving and defensive-tactics trainers. - Consider hiring additional deputies (the sheriff reiterated a previously discussed request for two more deputies) to reduce response delays and workload on existing staff.

Commissioners and the judge expressed general support for addressing three linked priorities: resolving the COLA/pay-grid inequity, approving targeted incentive pay, and deciding on the number and timing of additional deputies. They directed staff to draft ordinance language to include the COLA in the pay grid and to return with budget options; commissioners discussed the possibility of phased increases (a smaller action in January and larger adjustments at the July budget date) to show near-term progress.

Cost and timing: The sheriff estimated the incentive-pay program expansion would cost roughly $40,000–$50,000 annually under his proposed rates; no binding appropriation or formal vote on pay-grid changes or new deputies occurred during the meeting. Commissioners said they intend to take the matter up in the next budget cycle and to consider a phased approach.

Provenance: Sheriff’s presentation begins at roughly 41:35 into the meeting; related discussion and directions to staff extend through the rest of the meeting.

Speakers cited (first reference gives role and time): Sheriff Jones, McCracken County Sheriff (first referenced 41:35) — presented data and proposals. Judge Clymer, McCracken County Judge-Executive (participated in the budget and policy discussion). Commissioner Henry (commented in support of drafting ordinance language).

Discussion vs. decision: The meeting record shows a substantive policy discussion and nonbinding direction to staff; no ordinance or specific hiring appropriation was approved at this session.