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County Budget Committee Recommends Two-Percent Raise, Denies Sheriff’s Request

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HUNTINGDON (June 13) — Carroll County Budget Committee is advancing through the annual budget process with a goal of setting the tax rate and budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year during the August 12 meeting of the Carroll County Commission.
The Budget Committee is working to give all employees a two-percent raise over the current pay rate. Employes currently making less than $12 per hour will be advanced to that rate.
Sheriff Andy Dickson asked for a pay increase larger than the two percent for employees of his departments – the Sheriff’s and Jail departments. During a Budget Committee meeting in May, Dickson requested pay raises totaling $125,000 for deputies, investigators, and salary supplements for the Sheriff’s Department. Dickson additionally requested a raise of $1 per hour, or a total of $118,000 in raises for dispatchers, correctional officers, clerical, cafeteria, maintenance, part-time personnel, and overtime for the Jail. He also requested a fund to reward longevity of service to the department. That fund would come from any unused budgeted funds for his department. Dickson reminded the committee members that former Sheriff Bendell Bartholomew was successful in getting his department pay raises through Chancery Court.
During the June 13 meeting, the Budget Committee voted to grant all employees, regardless of department, a two-percent raise. They also denied the Sheriff’s Department request for longevity pay.
Committee member Johnny Blount received unanimous support for his motion for the across-the-board two-percent raises and committee member Manuel Crossno received unanimous approval for his motion to deny the longevity pay. They both cited other department heads could possibly make similar requests if granted to the Sheriff’s Department.

Committee member Brian Winston said the Sheriff’s Department has a state-mandated maintenance of effort, requiring the county to fund the department at equal or greater amounts each year without the possibility of reducing the budget for the department in future years. He said he does not see how a lawsuit on salary could be justified because a single local police department raised its pay. McKenzie raised the pay of its sworn officers because the city department was losing officers to higher paying departments, including the Sheriff’s Department.
A request for funding to purchase new voting machines was postponed to a future fiscal year. During the May meeting, Peg Hamlett, administration of elections, said the 13-year old machines are at the end of their life cycle. She also said the commission needs new computer systems because the present aged machines cannot be upgraded to meet new cybersecurity standards. New voting machines will cost the county $99,000 after a $210,000 Help America Vote Act grant. The new voting machines would be touchscreen and print a matching paper ballot to review before finally being placed in an optical scanner to record the vote.
During the June 13 Budget Committee meeting, funds of approximately $12,000 were placed in the proposed budget for new desktop computers but nothing for the voting machines.
Mayor Joseph Butler said a standard for voting machines is still being considered in Washington. He recommended waiting on the new standards before making purchases of new machines.
County Technical Advisory Service has issued new minimum salary standards from elected constitutional officers. The sheriff’s annual salary increases to $94,345. By law, his salary must be 10 percent higher than other offices, plus 10 percent for operating the workhouse. The county mayor’s salary will increase to $99,062. His minimum salary is mandated to be five percent higher than the sheriff.
The Budget Committee will convene again in June to finalize the budget to be recommended to the full County Commission.

Budget, Carroll County, Raise, Sheriff