Clay Sheriff: Investment In Employees Critical

Clay County Sheriff Brandon Boone said an increase in pay for county law enforcement would be an investment to keep staff members.

County Commissioners set to tackle the budget at a meeting Monday night. Boone asked for increased spending for his department during a work session last week, something he has shared with commissioners on numerous occasions.

“If I didn’t need the raises or the money for the employees I would not ask,” Boone said. “But I don’t know that it’s going to have to come down to a tax increase at this point. That’s the last thing any commissioner wants to do is raise taxes.”

Boone said the issues have gotten to a point where he has had to work dispatch and cover shifts.

“It’s always been a struggle for Clay County to retain its deputies and corrections,” Boone said. “But corrections and dispatch has been somewhat stable for the last couple of years and I just haven’t had the turnover there that I have had on the deputy’s side.”

Boone said he has lost staff to other counties as Clay County cannot compete with surrounding county wages. A proposal was made at the commissioners meeting that the department get overtime pay instead of comp time. Boone said his current staff is being overworked.

“I had one working nine straight days without a day off,” Boone said. “And then they are just filling in where I need them and they get burnt out. I’m trying not to burn my people out so they don’t leave for that reason.”

Boone said an increase in pay would be an investment to keep staff members.

“I guess I would say to the citizens of the county is you know I think if we can pay our people a little more,” Boone said. “We invest in them and a lot of times they stay and they are valued as an employee.”