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HR presents law‑enforcement pay review; commissioners debate removing cities from comparison set
Summary
HR reported increases in detention staffing and turnover and compared county pay ranges to peers; commissioners discussed whether including cities and small outlier counties like Rockwall in the comparables set has widened pay gaps between deputy sheriffs and deputy constables.
Cynthia Jacobson, Human Resources, gave an extended briefing on law‑enforcement compensation, turnover and supplemental pay practices ahead of the budget season.
Jacobson said the county has added substantial detention staffing in recent years, highlighted turnover patterns (with most detention officer turnover occurring in the first two years), and reviewed supplemental pay categories the county offers compared with peer governments. She presented market comparisons as of January 2026 and said the court's previous decision to include cities and to aim at the 75th percentile has pushed the county toward higher pay placement.
Commissioners exchanged questions and concerns about which jurisdictions should be included in comparables. Multiple commissioners said Rockwall County is an outlier and suggested removing it; one commissioner urged removing city comparables for certain positions because city duties differ from county duties. Jacobson said staff can rework the comparables and provided to the court a version of results without the cities for budget‑workshop review.
Discussion also touched on retention strategies and performance‑based pay; no budget decisions were made at the meeting.
