PORT ANGELES — Should Clallam County residents give more money to law enforcement if it meets certain goals?
That was an idea Sheriff Bill Benedict floated Tuesday during his annual address to the Port Angeles Business Association.
Benedict, as a side note to his talk on collective bargaining, said county residents may want to consider a tax that would go to the Sheriff’s Office if it met certain goals and objectives.
That additional income, he said, could be used for “performance-based” raises for deputies who do exceptional work.
Asked about it after the meeting, Benedict said he isn’t proposing such a move, which would require a public vote, but added that he would like to see a debate.
“You pay for quality,” he said.
The talk of taxes did not extend to pay increases mandated by labor contracts, which the sheriff warned could eventually lead to the loss of deputy positions.
Up personnel costs
Benedict told PABA that the Sheriff’s Office could see personnel costs increase by 10 percent to 15 percent over the next six years if state law doesn’t change.
Currently, labor contract arbitrators are required to consider the average pay of officers in comparable-size counties when trying to reach an agreement between uniformed personnel and public entities.
While there are several different tiers — Clallam sits in one that includes six other counties, including Jefferson — Benedict said the problem is that they overlap.
That means that even decisions made by other counties, even if they are in a different tier, will affect Clallam County, he said.
Benedict said King County sheriff’s deputies negotiated a cost-of-living increase — 5 percent a year over five years — and said he expects that to skew the average for larger counties.
That will eventually have a trickle-down effect on other counties, including Clallam, Benedict warned, as they are pressured to meet higher salary averages.
Could lead to cuts
Calling it a “fiscal suicide pact,” Benedict said the Sheriff’s Office may not be able to handle an increase without cutting a few deputy positions.
He added that he is not against paying his deputies more, as long as the county has the money.
“If we could afford it, I would love it,” Benedict said.
But he stressed that the law needs to change so that arbitrators are required to consider the ability of the county to pay for salary increases.
Benedict said he chose the topic because it was a major issue at a Washington State Sheriffs’ Association meeting three weeks ago.
