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Montgomery County adopts fixed education incentive payments for public safety employees
Summary
The county commission approved a change to the Public Safety Education Incentive Program: fixed annual payments of $1,500 (associate), $3,000 (bachelor's) and $4,500 (master's), to be distributed across 24 pay periods and treated as retirement-eligible income beginning the pay period that includes Jan. 1, 2025.
The Montgomery County Commission approved a method change to the Public Safety Education Incentive Program on Dec. 17, 2024, replacing the previous variable-step calculation with fixed annual amounts tied to the highest accredited degree held by eligible public safety employees.
Under the approved change, eligible public safety employees in the Public Safety (PS1–PS7) and Corrections (PC1–PC7) pay scales will receive annual EIP payments at the following rates: Associate’s degree — $1,500; Bachelor’s degree — $3,000; Master’s degree — $4,500. The payments will be divided evenly among 24 pay periods and will be treated as income for retirement purposes. The new method will be implemented during the pay period that includes Jan. 1, 2025.
The change was presented in a memo from Asst. Chief Wesley Richerson to Sheriff Derrick Cunningham and framed as a simplification intended to ensure employees "receive the incentive that is advertised and promised to them" and to reduce administrative complexity. The memo states the change is not a change to eligibility requirements and that an employee may receive only one education incentive based on their highest accredited degree.
Supporters said the fixed amounts will make the incentive easier for payroll staff to administer and more transparent for recruitment and retention, while reducing the long-term financial unpredictability inherent in the prior step-based calculation. The commission approved the method change by unanimous vote (mover: Commissioner Castanza; second: Vice Chairman Moore-Zeigler).
Implementation steps in the packet direct that the EIP be paid beginning in the pay period that includes Jan. 1, 2025; that it be added to retirementable income; and that it continue to be limited to one incentive per employee (the highest degree). The sheriff’s office memorandum and payplan tables are included as supporting material in the meeting packet.
