Sheriff Gets $1.5 Million More For Budget, But Not The Requested $6.6 Million

  • Tuesday, May 24, 2022

County Mayor Jim Coppinger, presenting a final budget with no tax increase, said it does not include $6.6 million in new funds sought by Sheriff Jim Hammond.

The sheriff request mainly related to higher pay for corrections officers at the Silverdale Detention Center where the sheriff said employees are leaving faster than new ones can be hired.

The budget does include an increase for the sheriff from $60,506,000 to $62,061,000.

Total expenditures in the county budget are slated at $881,203,000, an increase over FY 2022 of $48,164,000 or 5.8 percent.

The County Commission is due to vote on the budget on June 29.

The county mayor said a top priority was improving employee pay to help recruit and retain workers, especially nurses and at the Highway Department.

Cost of annual raises was $6.9 million. The budget includes $1.1 million to address pay "compression." 

There will be 10 fewer full-time positions - going from 2,015 to 2,005 in FY 2023.

Employee benefits are 20 percent of the budget.

There is no increase in health insurance costs and a slight increase in pension costs (Hybrid only).

Salaries and employee benefits are 58 percent of the budget. A significant adjustment to the pay plan for the general fund will bring a minimum salary of $31,307 ($15.05 per hour).

County Mayor Coppinger said $10 million of American Rescue Plan funds will be used to fund capital outlay and $1.5 million will be used to address volunteer fire department capital needs.

The budget is being helped by a continued rise in hotel motel tax collections, which are budgeted at $10,578,000.

Budget for the Hamilton County Schools is 522,968,000 - up from $491,959,000.

County Mayor Coppinger said significant cuts from the requested budgets totaling $39.8 million were necessary:

• Capital Outlay $16.1 million

• Sheriff $ 6.6 million

• Alton Park Development Corp. $ 3.6 million

• Emergency Medical Services $ 2.4 million

• Volunteer Services (mainly VFDs) $ 2.2 million

• Debt service appropriation $2 million

• Parks & Recreation $ 1.3 million

• Highway and associated departments $1.3 million

The full budget presentation is on the county website.

 

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