County Commission Grants Sheriff Department Raises

After an involved discussion and one Executive Session to discuss non-elected personnel, Grant County Commissioners approved raises for employees of the Grant County Sheriff Department during their meeting last week.

County department budgets are submitted in July, but the financial situation most of the departments due to increased costs and unexpected needs has caused recalculation and juggling of funds to reach the end of the fiscal year. At their March 7 meeting, Grant County Commissioners were tasked with requests from the Grant County Sheriff Department.

Along with county deputies, Law Enforcement Center dispatchers and county jailor wages fall under the Sheriff Department budget. Working with at least one employee short in each department, overtime pay is the biggest problem.

As commissioners discussed the problem facing the department, they all agreed ALL county departments are experiencing similar problems with rising costs and employee shortages, but the sheriff department seems to be at a more critical stage. 

Commissioner Martin said as he has gone over the numbers multiple times, the budget seems about $62,000 short, but still looks doable. “If we make it to December, we should be all right.”

The problem remains that the department is still short employees and if new hires come on staff, the overage will be short once again. County Clerk Sheila Brown, also running the numbers said things could “maintain” with help from the “cushion” worked into the General Fund Budget until the end of the year. All county department budgets are examined, reworked and approved at budget meetings in July, and all agreed the 2024 budgets would be different, but the main prob-lems: overtime and pay scale issues would still remain.

Commissioner McGaughey said, “All departments risk losing employees due to pay issues, but if we continue to take from other budget line items, it will eventually come due in a big way.” 

Commissioners agreed, but acknowledged if employee pay issues continued, departments would continue to lose employees.

After a 20 minute executive session, commissioners emerged and moved to make the suggested pay increases for sheriff department employees.