Spencer County approves sheriff’s 2022 budget; sheriff seeks pay increase, accreditation and storage solution

Spencer County Fiscal Court approved the 2022 sheriff’s budget on Dec. 6, 2021, authorizing the office’s fee accounts and moving forward with planned equipment purchases.

Sheriff Herndon told the court he has used drug-seizure funds for equipment and is preparing a salary-cap proposal that would include a 15% across-the-board pay increase for deputies and staff to improve recruitment and retention. “I’m going to be asking for a 15% pay increase across the board, for all my people; I had to do that to keep them,” he said.

Herndon described pursuing accreditation through the Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police, saying the designation would signal a department meeting best practices and could reduce insurance costs. “They were saying yes, it would help with county insurance rates,” he said of the accrediting body’s guidance.

The sheriff also asked the court’s permission to place a modest carport near the EMS building to store a county trailer and a donated boat that needs repairs; he said he would use drug-seizure funds for the structure and related materials. Judge John Riley asked the sheriff to work with one or two magistrates to develop a formal proposal and cost estimate to return to the court.

Riley praised the sheriff’s stewardship and said the county faces broader pay and equipment challenges across departments, adding he would support the sheriff’s forthcoming salary-cap proposal. The court’s formal vote approved the sheriff’s budget; implementation of the pay changes will require the separate salary-cap action the sheriff said he will present at a later meeting.

The sheriff invited court members to a first-responders dinner funded in part by his foundation and donations; he also described continuing uses of drug-seizure funds for community programs. The court took no immediate action on the carport during the Dec. 6 meeting.