As Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers prepares to obtain a elevate mandated by state legislation, he’s additionally urging county elected officers to offer bonuses to county staff.
Throughout his first six years in workplace, Myers adopted state statute by incomes a minimal wage equal to 80% of what Bartholomew County Prosecutor Invoice Nash is paid. Annual raises for prosecutors are dictated by state statute, and the quantity is about by the Indiana Supreme Court docket.
Final month, Chief Justice Loretta Rush introduced judges and prosecutors will obtain a 2.45% elevate. Their salaries will rise from $156,125 to $159,950 yearly. So beneath the 80% rule, Myers will see his minimal base wage rise from $124,900 to a minimal of $127,960, county auditor Pia O’Connor stated.
However in his remaining two years in workplace, Myers will truly be incomes greater than that and has the flexibility to earn simply as a lot as Nash.
Since Myers has not been working beneath a contract because the finish of 2019, he’s allowed to not solely earn a minimal 80% of a prosecutor’s wage — but additionally retain 10% of all sheriff’s tax warrant assortment charges till his wage equals Nash’s earnings.
Many on the Bartholomew County Council expressed shock to be taught the sheriff has not been beneath contract for nearly a year-and-a-half. Council member Matt Miller stated he was led to consider final 12 months {that a} contract could be forthcoming.
Myers didn’t search a proportion of the gathering charges final 12 months as a result of he hoped the county council would grant him a pension, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s workplace lawyer Jeff Beck stated.
However in October, the council overwhelmingly voted towards offering Myers with a county pension after he steps down on the finish of subsequent 12 months on account of time period limits.
“When it turned clear he wasn’t going to get the pension, (Myers) started to take the tax warrant cash for his remaining two years,” Beck stated.
After final October’s vote, there are a number of thousand {dollars} that had been put aside for Myers’ pension that was returned to the county normal fund, Beck stated. The quantity he may obtain from tax warrant assortment charges will likely be much like the pension funds he was pressured to forfeit, the lawyer stated.
Myers will get a pension from the Columbus Police Division after he retired as a CPD lieutenant in 2014, however not for a while after he steps down as sheriff.
Beck and council lawyer Chris Monroe expressed completely different opinions on whether or not Myers’ elevate should start in July, or if cash may be put aside till the county’s fiscal 12 months begins on Jan. 1.
After Beck warned delays could be unlawful, the council voted to postpone a call on the matter till June, to be able to collect extra particulars.
On the identical day the council met, Myers distributed a letter to the county commissioners, O’Connor and council members asking that bonuses be offered to what’s possible lots of of county staff.
If the sheriff’s proposal is accepted, the cash will come from the $16.25 million Bartholomew County has or will obtain by way of the American Rescue Plan, the letter acknowledged. A committee is presently being shaped to find out spend these funds.
Myers states he believes a few of that cash needs to be used to reward county staff who have been put in danger coming to work through the pandemic.
He particularly talked about staff of the Sheriff’s workplace, the jail, the well being division, county youth companies middle, emergency operations middle, upkeep, animal management, the freeway division, Neighborhood Corrections, courts, prosecutor’s workplace, clerk’s workplace and every other worker who interacted with the general public.
“Most county staff work for wages nicely beneath what they might obtain within the public sector,” Myers stated within the letter. “I consider you will have a chance to indicate your appreciation to those staff who’re greater than deserving for placing themselves and their households in hurt’s means.”
Federal pointers state a few of the cash may be spent “to reply to staff performing important work through the public well being emergency by offering premium pay to eligible staff of Columbus, Bartholomew County authorities, and non-entitlement models of native authorities.”
The funds may additionally present grants to sure employers who’ve eligible staff who carry out important work.
At the moment, Myers is asking solely that his proposal be offered to the brand new committee for consideration.
