Cole County sheriff's staff to get incentive pay

A Cole County sheriff's deputy is shown with his radio microphone and body cam pinned to his chest.
A Cole County sheriff's deputy is shown with his radio microphone and body cam pinned to his chest.

The Cole County Sheriff's Department is exploring more creative solutions, including incentive pay plans, to bring in new employees.

On Tuesday, the Cole County Commission approved an incentive pay plan from Sheriff John Wheeler that would pay newly hired jailers a $2,000 bonus, as well as newly hired deputies a $3,000 bonus, if they agree to stay with the department for two years. The employee must pay the incentive back if they don't stay two years.

The current jailer base pay is $35,000. There are 18 jailers budgeted for the department with a total jail staff of 38. Wheeler said they are currently down 13 full- and part-time positions in the jail.

The full-time deputy base pay is $38,800. There are nine deputies in the jail, 18 in the patrol division and four deputies in the civil division.

"I require the patrol deputies to live inside the Cole County limits," Wheeler said. "I know of two people that want to come to work for me, but they can't afford to move in from where they're at now, so I hope the $3,000 will help."

Currently, Wheeler has a $51,600 budget surplus because of the empty positions; he said he would use those funds to pay the incentives. County Auditor Kristen Berhorst said it's also possible funds from the federal American Rescue Plan for COVID-19 relief could be used to pay the incentives.

"I'm not looking for people off the street; I'm looking for experienced people," Wheeler said. "All the law enforcement agencies in the area are sharing the same pool of potential employees. I'll have to steal from other agencies. After the two years, hopefully they see this is a good place to work, and they don't want to leave."

In other action, the commission approved a request from Wheeler to give his chief deputy, Aaron Bolinger, a $15,000 raise. Bolinger's current salary is $71,440; he has been with the department for 23 years.

"Aaron has worked in every aspect of the department, and his knowledge is immeasurable," Wheeler said. "I've had to add some more duties to his plate, so there's a lot more responsibilities for him than when he first took this position."