The Russell County Fiscal Court voted to table the issue of the sheriff’s budget at this morning’s fiscal court meeting.
When the issue of the sheriff’s budget came up during the meeting, Magistrate Mickey Garner asked Sheriff Derek Polston if his salary was included in the budget.
Traditionally, the sheriff’s salary is paid by the fiscal court. However, the idea of moving the sheriff’s salary to the sheriff’s budget was proposed by Garner in a fiscal court meeting in September.
Polston said his salary was not included in the sheriff’s budget. He said doing so would result in layoffs within the office.
The discussion turned back to hazardous duty retirement for deputies. Garner told Polston the recent pay raise he provided to deputies and office staff raised the cost of hazardous duty, which is a percentage of the deputy’s salary.
Polston said the sheriff’s office has 5 road deputies right now, and said he doesn’t plan on adding more if the county implements hazardous duty.
Ultimately, the discussion ended when Garner proposed tabling the sheriff’s budget, which was unanimously approved.
A date and time for a special-called meeting has not yet been decided, but is expected to occur next week.
