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| Sheriff’s Office salaries: Are they competitive? |
| By maconnews.com |
| Published: 06/23/2011 |
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Have the salaries of certified deputies with the Macon County Sheriff's Office kept up with other law enforcement agencies in the region? According to Sheriff Robert Holland, they have not. During budget negotiations over recent months, Holland had recommended pay increases for the deputies in his department in order to make them more competitive with other law enforcement agencies in the Towns of Franklin and Highlands, as well as in Jackson County. At their June 14 meeting, the Macon County Board of Commissioners agreed to a compromise, raising the salaries of deputies an additional two percent above the three percent cost of living increase approved for all county employees effective July 1. The commissioners also agreed to undertake a study to review all county employee pay rates over the next six months and to determine what adjustments, if any, should be made to make county salaries more competitive in the region. According to Holland, his deputies make anywhere from $6,000 to $8,000 less than officers with similar levels of training and experience at other agencies. The county saw at least three officers transfer out of the department in the last year, two moving to the Highlands Police Department and one to the Sylva Police Department. In his recommendation to the commissioners, Holland proposed an average increase of 8.2 percent for all certified deputies, excluding both himself and his staff attorney. For individual officers, this would have meant a change in salary anywhere from 2.4 percent to 26 percent, or $1,000 to $8,000 a year, depending on years of service with the agency, responsibilities and the amount of education, training and specialized certifications. The proposal would have cost the county more than $200,000 a year with benefits. In Macon County, the salary of an entry-level deputy sheriff with basic law enforcement training but no experience and no specialized certifications is currently set at $28,500. Holland has recommended that the starting salary be increased to $30,500. With two years experience, a deputy sheriff’s base salary starts at $29,500, while an investigator (Corporal) with at least three years patrol experience starts at $31,100, and an investigator (Sergeant) with more than ten years patrol experience starts at $34,300. Holland’s proposal for each of these levels was $32,500, $37,500 and $42, 641, respectively. According to sheriff’s department attorney Brian Welch, in its proposal, the department sought a non-arbitrary method of determining appropriate pay scales for its deputies. Welch noted, however, that a direct comparison with other departments is complicated by the benefits that are offered and other factors. In addition, overtime pay, which Holland notes has been on the rise in his department in recent years, is not reflected in base salary and pay scale figures. A survey of the Franklin, Highlands and Sylva police departments, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, lends some credence to Holland’s claim that his department’s salaries are falling behind. Starting salaries at these agencies range from $28,500 (Franklin PD) to $29,245 (JCSO), a negligible difference. On the other hand, the minimum salary for the chief deputy (Major) in Macon County is currently set at $38,500. By comparison, the minimum salary for Jackson County’s chief deputy stands currently at $45,369. Police captains in Franklin, Highlands and Sylva make, respectively, $50,000, $33,075, and $41,000. Read More. |
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