FAYETTEVILLE -- The Washington County Sheriff's Office deputies for the first time would get small boosts in pay for training certifications under a proposal a Quorum Court committee endorsed Monday, bringing the department in line with others in the area.
Sheriff Tim Helder first told Quorum Court members two months ago he needs to be able to match more training with more pay or officers and deputies on patrol and at the county jail could leave for more rewarding work elsewhere. He oversees more than half of the county's 570 employees.
Meeting information
Washington County Quorum Court
• When: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11
• Where: Quorum Courtroom in the county courthouse, 280 N. College Ave. in Fayetteville
Source: Staff report
All seven members of the Personnel Committee voted for the proposal. It now goes before the 15-member Quorum Court for a final vote.
"I mean, this is important stuff -- it has to do with people's safety, people's lives," said Tom Lundstrum, a Republican of Elm Springs who isn't on the committee but went to the meeting. "The more training they (deputies) get, the safer they are, the safer the prisoners are."
The ordinance would reward officers with $300 annually for each of five possible certification levels from the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training, capped at $1,200 in all each year. The work required for certification ranges from basic police training for the basic certificate to hundreds of hours of training and between six and 18 years of experience for a senior certificate depending on other education.
For comparison, typical deputy first class pay at the department is somewhere between $30,000 and $38,000, while sergeants and corporals for the most part sit between $38,000 and $50,000.
If the Quorum Court approves the move at its next regular meeting, Washington County incentives would reach the same level as Rogers, Springdale and Arkansas State Police, at least in dollars per certificate level. Some departments offer other incentives the proposal wouldn't cover, such as a bilingual bonus in Springdale and a K-9 unit bonus in Bentonville, and some have higher annual limits.
The program should cost about $62,000 a year, Cantrell said -- about $8,000 lower than Helder estimated in June. The Quorum Court is anxious about a tight general fund this year, partly because of the financial pressure of a continually crowded jail. But Helder said the incentives' impact would be minimal thanks to a recently re-negotiated and more generous contract for the Sheriff's Office phone service.
"You have the money to do that, and that's fine," said Ann Harbison, a West Fork Democrat and committee member. "But what about the other departments? What about the road department?"
Employees in the Road Department or elsewhere should be rewarded for training as well, Harbison said. But their departments might not have the financial wiggle room to make it happen.
Others said they didn't share that worry. Lisa Ecke, a Springdale Republican, said departments can find the money in their budgets just as the sheriff did.
"If you want it, then you work for it," she said.
Committee members also discussed the idea of rewarding the sheriff, county judge and other county-wide elected officials with higher pay during each consecutive term a person has in the position. For example, they might start a new sheriff on 75 percent of the maximum pay in state law and bump it incrementally every two years.
The committee was mixed on the idea, saying it rewards experience but could encourage career politicians.
NW News on 08/04/2015