Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Recruitment And Compensation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kalamazoo County approves ARPA-funded $5,000 hiring bonuses for sheriff’s positions and expands employee recruitment bounty
Summary
The Board of Commissioners voted July 15 to reallocate remaining ARPA funds to extend $5,000 hiring bonuses to corrections deputies, corrections clerks and food service specialists in the sheriff’s office and to formalize a $1,000 county employee referral reward. Commissioners debated wage increases versus one-time bonuses before approval.
Kalamazoo County commissioners voted July 15 to use remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to expand a sheriff’s office hiring-bonus program and to extend a countywide employee referral incentive.
The board approved adding corrections deputies, corrections clerks and food service specialists to the existing ARPA-funded hiring bonus program. The undersheriff told commissioners the county will offer $5,000 for those hires, paid half at hire and half after completion of a one-year probationary period. Undersheriff Michelle Greenlee said the program builds on prior bonuses for deputies and nurses and has helped the department fill difficult vacancies.
“It's been very successful,” Greenlee said, describing persistent vacancies, overtime burdens and on-the-job injuries that have compounded staffing shortages.
The board also voted to extend the “county bounty” program, a $1,000 reward to county employees who refer candidates who are hired and complete probation. Undersheriff Greenlee described the bounty as a separate, complementary incentive to encourage staff participation in recruitment.
Commissioners debated whether one-time bonuses or higher base wages best address long-term retention. Vice Chair Taylor argued bonuses for low-wage civilian jail staff are a short-term fix and urged the board to prioritize wage increases: “I just don't think it's good policy when we can't fill those positions to do a $5,000 bonus for somebody that's making $16 an hour — it makes more sense to pay a wage they can live on,” he said. Other commissioners, including Wheeler, pressed for immediate incentives while directing administration to pursue salary adjustments in upcoming contract negotiations and the FY26 budget process.
Administrator Catlin and the undersheriff said roughly $120,000 remained in the ARPA recruitment pool and that these expansions would draw from that allocation. Greenlee warned the funding is finite: “When they're gone, they're gone,” she said.
Votes: the motion to expand bonuses to corrections deputies was moved by Vice Chair Taylor (supported by Vice Chair Pro Tem Hepler) and carried on roll call 8–0. A separate motion to add corrections clerks and food service specialists (moved by Commissioner Wheeler, supported by Commissioner Morales) passed 7–1, with Vice Chair Taylor recorded as the lone no vote. The motion to extend the county bounty program ran and passed unanimously.
Next steps: commissioners directed county administration and the sheriff’s office to implement the expanded eligibility from the ARPA pool and to report back as funds are used. Members also signaled intent to address base wages through collective bargaining and the FY26 budget process.
