From The Weatherford Democrat, by Judy Sheridan, August 8, 2012 -
Parker County Courthouse
WEATHERFORD — Citing a 10 percent attrition rate, sheriff’s office personnel asked Parker County commissioners — in a budget session Monday — for $550,000 to $560,000 to bring the salaries of licensed peace officers up to those in surrounding counties and cities, including increasing the salary for recruits from $34,508 to $40,785.They also asked the county to adopt a salary structure, to be reviewed annually, so officers could plan for the future.
“Out of 12 agencies surveyed, we’re number 11 in certified peace officers,” Fowler said, referring to an in-house survey of sheriff’s offices that compared the salaries of Parker County peace officers with those in Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Grayson, Kaufman, Palo Pinto, Tarrant, Rockwall and Wise counties.
The survey, presented to the court by Capt. Mike Morgan, showed Parker County to be lower than average in 19 different positions, with deficits ranging from $2,012 less for a communications officer to $12,205 less for a high-level chief deputy.
The average annual salary of an entry level Parker County deputy sheriff is $36,142, compared with $42,641, the average salary of deputies in the surveyed counties, according to the study. The salaries range from a high of $51,827 in Rockwall County to a low of $33,573 in Johnson County, the only county shown as lower than Parker County. Palo Pinto County showed an average current salary of $42,640.
An entry-level corporal/investigator employed by Parker County draws a salary of $42,582, compared to an average salary of $46,294 for other counties, the study shows, a difference of $3,712. An entry-level sergeant is paid $47,741 in Parker County, but receives an average salary of $51,969 in other counties, a $4,228 difference.
Another in-house survey used data from the Texas Municipal League to compare county salaries with those paid by Metroplex police departments. The survey showed Parker County officers to be lower than average for seven different positions, with shortfalls ranging from $8,546 less for a probationary deputy to $32,639 less for a chief deputy.
One reason Parker County falls behind in wages, Morgan told the court, is because it doesn’t seem to be able to get or maintain a salary structure that projects what officers will be paid 10 or 20 years into the future.
He presented the court with a proposed structure, built on the sheriff’s study averages, that showed pay increasing each year over 18 years of service.
Under the salary schedule, a deputy sheriff I, entering at a $42,824 salary, would be making $58,111 by his or her 18th year.
But money is not the only reason the sheriff’s office has lost six or seven officers every year since 2005, Morgan said.
“One of the things a lot of people think is that everybody leaves for money,” he said, “and it’s hard not to leave the Parker County Sheriff’s Office for more money.
“But some of our guys tell us, ‘We’re going to departments like Northlake, Trophy Club and Southlake because we’re going to do about a third of the work for more money.”
Morgan used examples of hazards that deputies have encountered in the line of duty — like contracting Salmonella and being stuck with a syringe — to justify why they should be paid more than other county employees.
He said he thought commissioners had indicated in the past that they don’t think it’s fair to give deputies something that other employees are not getting.
“Sometimes what we think is fair and what other people think is fair are two different things,” he said.
Morgan said county employees are entitled to receive the market value for the job.
“They like it here, like the county, like the department,” he said. “They just say, ‘we ain’t doing this stuff anymore for $36,000 a year.’”
Fowler closed the presentation by saying that he doesn’t have enough officers on the street.
“The relief factor’s not there,” he said.
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For more on this story, go to the Weatherford Democrat.
It is time to say ” NO ” – we “privatized” jailer services a few years back, and NO corresponding decrease in the Sheriffs’ staff, and no corresponding increase in patrol.
We need a sheriff who will cut fat from the beauracracy and one who gets some of the paper-pushers and pencil-sharpeners on the street rather than have a bloated staff.
I say no. Correct me, one and all, if you disagree
I would say that the issues of “right-sizing” and compensation can be discussed separately.
I, too, wondered at why the outsourcing of the jail with no attendant staff reduction has resulted in no additional patrol capability. It seems they were just absorbed administratively, or to embellish idiocy like the Internet stings. If there was ever a review to determine appropriate staff after that change I must have missed it. There certainly should have been one in any case.
I do have to agree with one point – a deputy’s job is in no way similar to that of a precinct employee driving a county lawn tractor, and comparing the competitiveness of salary between those positions doesn’t make sense. They make less than court clerks, for a comparison.
Honestly, you couldn’t even pay me double that to do what they do, and those salaries are significantly below average household income for our county. I don’t begrudge deputies making a reasonable wage.
I would suggest that comparing Parker County wages to Dallas and Fort Worth is not a fair determination perhaps you should drop those two counties and compare to the other ones you have listed to come up with a more legitimate comparison of wages. We can’t afford Tarrant County or Dallas County wages, we don’t even come close on a tax bases to use them in this comparison. If you will note that average wage earnings don’t compare either in the business world between Parker, Dallas and Fort Worth. Come on Sheriff Fowler I have learned how to doctor justification for pay raises and I recognize this for what it is. I say if their is an increase in revenue that that increase should be used to pay 50% toward Parker County Debt and the remaining 50% should be proportionally applied across the board to all wages for Parker County, that is sensable budgeting not this all out for the Sherriff Department. If there is no excess then there should be no pay raise!
This sounds a little like “……deja vu…..all over again”
I can still remember when the Commissioners granted themselves a huge raise after justifying it with data they had cherry picked and at the same time forgetting to mention they enjoyed much better additional emoluments than the example counties
they had cited as justifying their raise.
Unless a survey of wage and benefits is done by an INDEPENDENT third party it is impossible for bias not to be projected in the results.
I have no doubt that employees of the Sheriff’s Department should be considered for a raise, but over 18% all in one jump. A request such as this points out some of the shortcomings of the way County business is handled.
1. Why is an attrition rate of 10% all that bad? Most business with a significant number of employees have similar rates of attrition. Some attrition is good. Any number of reasons can account for employee turnover. To even “suggest” no turnover is the goal is borderline disingenuous at best.
2. The questioin will be reised…” How does this affect the County tax rate?” A straight and simple answer is required, such as “500,000 will increase the mill rate by “X” A lot of other budget verbage about savings elsewhere and expense reductions only obscures an honest answer.
3. Morgan is right on target with one aspect of his request. A clear salary and progression scale should be formalized. This is an area where a knowledgeable independent third party should be utilized.
An employee who never progresses should not recieve the same pay as an employee who accepts more responsibility and improves his or her benefit to the department and is promoted accordingly. A system which protects poor performers is a poorly managed system. Far too many Government entities fall into that category.
Lets start giving the right people the right raise for the right reasons.
Frank, you did an excellent job of pointing out how Fowler has “cherry-picked” numbers to try to “justify”…….sad. And I have lived all over Texas. Believe me, the dynamics and idiosyncracies vary widely from 1 county line to the next in many cases.
So does the quality of life and family considerations , the cost of living, schooling, housing and several other factors. Attrition to some dgeree is healthy, and brings in fresh blood and fresh ideas. I say let the folks leave who are so inclined.
Also, our esteemed commissioners court does not need to be bestowing $40K or so EXTRA for a deputies surgery, or a judges’ knee. Have a bake sale next time- dont arrogantly steal taxpayers $$$ for such.
I am increasingly convinced a resounding ” NO ” should be sent to the Sheriffs office on this entire issue. He needs to trim his staff and put feet on the ground, not tonnage behind a desk, or he might need to move on as well