Jailer’s raises on hold awaiting certified signature by sheriff

Published 12:14 am Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Even though a $1,000 raise for full-time Carter County Sheriff’s Department jailers was recently approved by the Carter County Commission, those funds have yet to be released.

Carter County Finance Director Carolyn Watson said Monday that Sheriff Dexter Lunceford is working to add two people to the list who are designated as part-time IT employees under the sheriff’s department.

“At this point, none of the raises have gone through because he (Sheriff Lunceford) has not signed off on it,” Watson said during the Financial Management meeting on Monday. “There are two people that he wants to add that are on the sheriff’s side of the budget which are two IT positions. I have told him he would have to ask for permission for these two people because I literally took what the commission said and that was full-time jailers only. The state comptrollers office advised to go specifically with what the commission agreed to and that’s what I am going to do.”

Watson said that the sheriff’s department had sent a list of 30 people which would total $30,000 in raises.

Chairman Brad Johnson told the committee that he advised Watson to “do what the resolution says.”

“They need to explain to their employees why they are holding up their money,” said Johnson.

Watson advised that the $3,000/$1,500 bonuses for sign-on and retention are due to go out toward the end of the week for the first two quarters, equaling $1,500 for full time and $750 for part time. The third payment will be released at the end of March and the final payment is scheduled for the end of June.

She told the committee that only one employee eligible for the bonus will have carry over into the next fiscal year.

Carter County Schools Director Dr. Tracy McAbee updated the committee on the progress of the Hunter School project saying that there will be three phases of the building project as bids will be opened on April 17.

Also, the committee voted to allow the modular home that currently sits on the Sluder property to be put on Govdeals.com to sell as surplus. If the building doesn’t sell, then the county will move the building to the landfill to be demolished while saving the frame for recycling.

After moving the building, the committee plans to construct a multi-purpose building on the sight to be utilized by the fire department, EMS, and the county highway department as a storage shed for salt could be added to cut down on the highway department’s snow removal process in the Elk Mills and Poga communities significantly according to Highway Superintendent Roger Colbaugh.