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Sheriff warns of staffing crisis; council discusses $4/hour raise and asks staff for options
Summary
The sheriff told the council the jail has lost 18 staff since 2024 and urged urgent pay increases to reduce turnover; council members discussed a $4/hour across-the-board bump for certain jail positions, directed staff to model budget impacts and to return with implementation details rather than immediately approving permanent payroll changes.
Sheriff (S11) told the Owen County Council the jail has lost 18 employees since 2024, including a recent sergeant who left for higher pay in another county. He said the base pay for jailers is about $19.96 per hour and described repeated overtime, certification costs and safety risks that follow high turnover.
The sheriff requested an across-the-board $4 per hour increase for eleven jail positions below lieutenant, an adjustment the sheriff estimated would cost roughly $91,520 in straight wages (about $103,400 when payroll overhead is included). Council members debated funding sources; several suggested using the jail fund (Fund 11.70) and monitoring revenue gains from unfilled positions to offset costs. One member proposed a policy-trigger mechanism to respond to sudden high turnover.
A motion was made to implement the $4/hour increase to be funded from the jail fund, and council members asked staff to prepare detailed cost breakdowns and confirm long-term sustainability before a formal appropriation is processed. The council emphasized the need for a careful implementation plan, including whether other public-safety and dispatch positions should be adjusted to maintain internal pay equity.
The council did not finalize a permanent pay ordinance at the meeting; members agreed to return with numbers and formal appropriation language at a subsequent meeting.
