Cochise County supervisors weigh constable pay as statute limits options

Cochise County supervisors spent most of a May 4 work session debating how to set constable salaries when the law ties pay to four years of activity logs, and when some precincts lack that historical data.

Constable Drummond (Benson) joined remotely and told the board he recorded 55 services in 2024 and 138 services in 2025; including protection orders, he said Benson's 2025 total would be about 263. "In 2025 I did 138," Drummond said, and added that he had personally bought a badge and other supplies while building the office. He argued that a $20,000 salary would not cover the work and costs involved.

The board's staff warned that Arizona law requires the board to set constable salaries at the regular June meeting of the year preceding a general election and that the statute calls for a four-year average of standardized daily activity logs to determine pay ranges. "The statute requires the activity log," Sharon, county staff, told supervisors during the session. Attorneys told the board that the state constitution generally prevents changing an elected official's salary midterm, which narrows the board's options absent a legislative change.

Several supervisors said the safest administrative course may be to set the statutory floor where four years of data are missing. That option would limit Benson's salary to the statutory cap for lower-activity precincts (not more than $20,000), a figure Drummond said would be insufficient. Staff noted that another justice precinct constable (JP5) falls into a much larger voter-population category that would place that office in the $55,000'$75,000 statutory range.

County staff (Dylan) reported there may be case law the county could cite to provide the board some discretion when workload measurements are unavailable, but supervisors warned that relying on such an interpretation could invite litigation. Supervisors also discussed alternatives including placing a small stipend in the budget for lower-activity precincts or drafting a narrowly targeted resolution that sets salaries only for Benson and Sierra Vista this cycle.

No formal vote was taken during the work session. The board directed staff to draft a resolution for the June salary-setting meeting and to hold a follow-up work session in late May to refine options and coordinate potential legislative outreach with local representatives. The resolution discussed would be limited to the precincts with active constables this year; supervisors said broader countywide baseline pay would increase budgetary pressure and could spur more candidates to run for the office.

Why this matters: the board's approach will affect recruitment and retention of constables across Cochise County, the sheriff's workload (which sometimes fills service gaps), and the county budget. Supervisors flagged the county's constrained revenue outlook and expenditure-limit considerations as complicating factors.

Next steps: staff will draft the resolution for consideration at the June meeting; supervisors plan a May follow-up work session and indicated they may seek a legislative fix if the statutory four-year requirement continues to block adjustments.