Athens-Clarke County commissioners will hear tonight about the results of a salary study that looked at how employees in the Sheriff’s Department are paid in comparison to their peers in other counties and agencies.
We have people who feel that they are devalued - that the police department is the big brother, and we're the little brothers.Clarke County Sheriff John Q. Williams
The issue bubbled up about nine months ago, when Sheriff John Q. Williams rebuked lawmakers for paying Sheriff’s deputies less than their counterparts in the ACC Police Department.
"We have people who feel that they are devalued - that the police department is the big brother, and we're the little brothers," Williams told ACC commissioners last May.
Maintaining the morale of current employees and recruiting new ones has been a challenge for Williams, a hurdle he blames – at least in part – on the salary discrepancy.
But while Williams says his deputies should be paid the same amount as ACCPD officers of equivalent rank, some county officials disagree, saying the relevant comparison should be not with police officers in Athens and other jurisdictions but with detention officers in nearby counties, because running the jail is the primary duty of Sheriff’s deputies.
The salary study that ACC commissioners will see tonight shows that deputies in Clarke County are paid less than ACCPD officers to the tune of some $10,000 per year, and less than deputies on average in the other counties surveyed by about $5,000.
But, compared with counties that are considered “direct talent competitors,” Clarke County deputies make about the same annual salary.
When compared not with Sheriff’s deputies but with detention officers, Clarke County deputies are near the top of the pack in salary, making slightly more than the average for detention officers.
In the past, Williams has contended that deputies undergo similar training and certification to ACCPD officers, an argument he is likely to renew as commissioners ponder next year’s county budget.
