A new three-year contract for deputies, detectives and corrections officers will go into effect without the Logan County Commissioners’ blessings.
Commissioners Tony Core, John Bayliss and Dustin Wickersham chose Thursday to take no action on a fact finder’s ruling that gave the union a three-percent wage increase in each year of the deal.
Under the law, the commissioner had just one week to accept the deal, reject it or no take no action. By taking no action, the contract is approved.
The commissioners did not comment further about the deal which will add $126,000 to Logan County Sheriff Randy Dodds’ annual budget in the first year; $258,000 in the second year; and around $400,000 in year three.
Sheriff Dodds said the increases are not covered under his current budget which had remained flat.
The new contract also provides five weeks of vacation after 20 years of service rather than after 25 years. It also provides a $100 bonus for taking no sick leave between January and June.
There are 13 patrol deputies, four detectives and 26 corrections officers covered by the contract. The department also has 29 full-time positions and 17 part-time as needed positions not covered by the union contract.
Sheriff Dodds said he feels bound to extend the contract to other employees as “the entire staff needs a pay raise.”
He is not sure how he will pay for the salary increases.
“We don’t have the money in our budget,” he said, “and there’s not a pot of gold we tap into.”
Read complete story in Friday’s Examiner.
CLICK HERE to subscribe today!
WEB EDITION STARTING AT $9.50 FOR 5 WEEKS!