Residents and deputies urge Kootenai County to add longevity pay for detention staff

At a Kootenai County human-resources meeting on July 8, multiple public commenters and county detention staff urged commissioners to add a longevity-pay retention incentive for jail deputies, saying persistent turnover has imposed large costs on the county.

Shane Mooney, who identified himself and later said he is a sergeant and chairs the FOP budget and pay committee, told commissioners the county hired 27 detention deputies between 2021 and 2026 but that 8 of those hires have left. “Turnover has cost the county more than $2,000,000 in documented training investment alone,” Mooney said, adding that the estimated cost to recruit, hire and train a fully functioning detention deputy is about $119,000.

Mooney and other speakers framed the issue as retention rather than simply compensation, noting that departures include employees with both short and long tenures: “When you examine the departure of the average employee leaving, they have 7.7 years of service, while the median is just 3.4,” he said. Sean Summer Shoe, a deputy who said he has been with the department about 20 years, told the board the proposed longevity program would cost about $91,000 annually and argued that “every experienced deputy who stays saves taxpayer money.”

Commissioners asked for supporting documentation and asked that presenters provide the underlying data to HR and to the board. The chair said he wanted the analysis emailed to him first and then presented formally if appropriate. Commissioners noted the county’s regular HR and budget-review schedule and asked why the longevity request was not included in the sheriff’s initial budget package.

Sheriff Robert Norris addressed the board during public comment and said a jail longevity-pay request was submitted on April 16 at 4:49 p.m., one day before the HR deadline of April 17, but that the submission lacked supporting market documentation and had not followed HR and auditor vetting procedures. “It was submitted to our overall budget, but it was not submitted in the proper manner…nor was it submitted in a timely manner for HR requirements and the auditor’s office to conduct things,” Norris said, adding that the administration intended to pursue the request cooperatively with the board going forward.

HR staff replied that longevity pay at this stage would need vetting through HR and the auditor before it could be added to the budget, and that a delay should be expected if the request is submitted now. The board did not take a formal vote; commissioners asked staff and the association to provide the requested backup materials and indicated the item could be considered as part of the upcoming budget discussions.

The meeting adjourned without formal action on longevity pay. The board asked staff to include any received documentation in the backup materials for the next budget meeting so the commissioners could evaluate whether and how to include a retention incentive for detention staff.