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Sheriff warns pay lag will hamper recruitment; signals staff wage request in county budget
Summary
Sheriff Levi Dominguez told commissioners he will seek significant wage increases for deputies in the upcoming budget cycle, warning that without competitive starting wages the office risks losing staff and creating pay inversion with elected salaries.
Sheriff Levi Dominguez told the board his top priority is retaining and attracting quality staff for the Sheridan County Sheriff's Office and said he plans to request a significant wage increase for deputies in the upcoming budget cycle. "And when I say that, I think that my number 1 focus is is when I look at this as retaining and attracting quality staff for the Sheridan County Sheriff's Office," Dominguez said.
Dominguez cautioned that a static sheriff salary combined with meaningful raises for deputies could create a pay inversion where command-level staff earn more than the sheriff. He provided comparative examples from other Wyoming counties and said he could supply detailed sheriff-salary and population-adjusted comparisons for the board to review. The sheriff asked commissioners to consider the impact on succession and recruitment when they decide on elected pay.
