Concerns with Sheriff’s Office pay increase expressed to commissioners

WADESBORO — Multiple county employees appeared before to the Anson County Commissioners at their August 1 meeting to raise their concerns regarding a 12.5% COLA (cost of living adjustment) salary increase granted to the Sheriff’s Office.

All other county employees received a 2.5% salary increase, for a 10% difference.

“We come to work and do our jobs and serve the citizens of this county as well as surrounding counties,” said Stacy Lisenby, who works for the division of motor vehicles. “To be told of a 10% difference in our raise. Wow, that is a huge difference.”

Lisenby said that no department under the purview of the county is more important than another, and that they all serve a role in serving the public.

“If a 12.5% raise is given to one it should be given to all,” Lisenby said. “The 10% difference is saying to us we’re not worthy. ….Tell a good reason why we’re not all equal.”

DMV employee Rhonda Liles said that that the 10% disparity was a “slap in the face.”

Stephanie Taylor, a department of social services staff member, said that all employees deserve to be compensated equally.

“When you work for an employer that gives certain departments a significant raise over others, it makes them question their worth to the county and decreases the morale in other departments,” Taylor said.

She added that is creates animosity between departments and contributes to the overall problem of employee retention. She added that, at times, DSS employees put their lives on the line and that 911 has been called numerous times when clients threaten them.

“DSS workers do just as much and serve the same community as any other employee of Anson,” Taylor said, also stating that a former county she worked at, a high turnover rate stemmed from unequal raises.

“We feel that you are sending a message to employees who didn’t get the additional 10% raise that their hard work and dedication doesn’t mean anything to this this county nor the county commissioners,” Taylor continued. “Anson County needs to come together and put our brilliance to work to figure out alternative solutions to this concern.”

County utilities employee Christopher Harrington said that the commissioners have not demonstrated actions that the community expects.

“No department is greater than the other,” Harrington said. “We need each department to make this county function.”

Harrington said while employees are thankful for the 2.5% increase, the difference makes certain employees feel disrespected and undervalued. He called the decision a “low point” in the last 20 years of Anson.

County manager Leonard Sossamon said he’s discussed avenues to finding additional revenue for county employees with finance director Holly Berry and Neil Emory, Outreach Services Manager with the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners.

He said they could defer hiring for new positions for 90 to 120 days, although that would defeat the purpose of hiring those individuals, needed in areas such as code enforcement inspections. What would make more sense, according to Sossamon, is to defer certain capital purchases, such as a $300,000 power lift stretcher for EMS, or to delay the purchase of additional vehicles for the sheriff’s office. There is typically a six to 12 month delay once those vehicles have been ordered due to supply chain issues.

Sossamon said delaying those two capital purchases would not raise enough to give a full 10% raise across the board, without “tearing the budget apart”, but it could allow for a 5% raise to the 200-odd employees who did not receive the initial 12.5% increase.

Chairman JD Bricken asked if the deferment of those vehicles would outweigh the potential cost of forthcoming repairs to existing vehicles. Sossamon said he would need to ask those individual departments.

Sossamon said that the 2022 audit, which will be completed before Dec. 31 of this year, will give a better picture of what their fund balance is, and any deferments should wait until that date.

Sheriff Scott Howell said his department rotates their cars out by mileage, and that at around 100,000 miles, their Dodge Chargers are worn out. Howell said one of their vehicles, at 110,000 miles, is having transmission issues that will cost $800, and overheating issues that will cost another $1,000 to repair.

“We [need to] provide a deputy with the best patrol car we can put them in,” Howell said. “We don’t want something down the road that’s [a] safety hazard when they have to be responding to an emergency.”

“We have about seven or eight cars now…that have over 125,000 miles that deputies are driving right now,” Howell added.

Howell informed the board that his office has already purchased five vehicles that were long overdue, potentially nixing Sossamon’s recommendation to delay the purchase.

Commissioner Priscilla Little-Reid said she is “200 percent” with all county employees getting a similar increase that the Sheriff’s Office received. At the June 27 meeting, Little-Reid stated that she did vote for the increase, but that she was not aware of the 12.5% increase when she voted. “It’s not right,” and she added that when they previously approved a six percent increase, it was given to all county employees.

In the minutes of the July 10 meeting, it’s stated that during a budget workshop session with a focus on public safety and law enforcement that Sossamon invited all commissioners to meet with him regarding the 2024 budget. From the Anson County website, it states that Little-Reid, Woodburn and Smith did not contact Sossamon.

“I still don’t understand the justification of the four commissioners who took a risk for one department and not for all the other county employees,” Little-Reid said on August 1. “Every department has a shortage and must deal with the public in their own way. No department is any less important than the other.”

She made a motion to give all employees a 12.5% increase, seconded by Commissioner Harold Smith.

“Where do you suggest pulling that money from?” asked Commissioner Jamie Caudle. Little-Reid responded that they would follow Sossamon’s suggestions, which Caudle responded they would have to return the five vehicles that were ordered, as well as defer the lift stretcher. It was expressed that it was unknown that the cars had already been ordered.

Bricken jumped in saying that there was a unanimous vote at the June 6 that approved all of the funds and reorganization headed to the Sheriff’s Office, and there was a second vote on June 27 that was also unanimous.

“Those that are saying we’re doing this behind the scenes,” Bricken said. “You may not agree what we’re doing, but we did it wide open in front of all of y’all and every single one of us voted for it. Go back and watch it and read the minutes.”

Little-Reid expressed confusion, directly stated that she didn’t approve the 12.5% increase, despite her previous affirmative vote, saying that the board rushed the decision and that it wasn’t done “transparently.”

“If you’re going to do something in the dark, be a man enough to do it in the light,” Little-Reid said, but it was not clear who the statement was directed at.

“There was nothing voted on in the dark,” Caudle said. “Us four commissioners, singlehandedly, called the manager, wanted to sit down and discuss the budget with him which is our job as commissioners.”

Sossamon said the power stretcher would erase half of the $650,000 needed to get to a 5% raise for all employees. He said this would be a great time to make a bona fide capital improvement program that items can be placed into for the board. Sossamon said that the only department that has a replacement program is IT.

The original motion to give a 7.5% COLA increase for all non-sheriff’s office employees was maintained by Little-Reid, who asked for a show of hands instead of a verbal affirmative.

Little-Reid, Smith and Commissioner Jarvis Woodburn voted in the affirmative. Bricken, Caudle, and Commissioners Mims and Gatewood voted against, and the motion failed.

A second motion to permit the county manager to look for ways to find the necessary money for a 7.5% increase was made by Woodburn. It was passed 4-3, with only Mims switching to the affirmative.

In a later phone call to the Anson Record, Bricken said that improving the capabilities of the Anson County Sheriff’s Office is a top priority of the commissioners, and that many of his constituents support that position.

In a previous meeting, five commissioners advanced Bricken’s motion to permit the commissioners to have an extra meeting each month. The Anson commissioners will now meet on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Their next meeting will be on August 15.