County makes pay changes for deputies

After hearing heartfelt pleas from employees of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved measures to correct ongoing pay compression issues at the sheriff's office, using healthcare cost savings and other monies from the budget.

The commission directed staff to find $1.7 million — possibly from reserves or other items — to combine with $1.5 million in savings to come up with the $3.2 million Sheriff Brad Steube has been requesting to address a loss of seasoned deputies because of non-competitive pay.

The commission approved an operating millage rate of 6.9102 and a roughly $464 million budget, as well.

Under the adopted budget, all county employees are expected to get extra pay compared to last year. The county has had a pay freeze for about five years.

For a complete story, see the Sept. 20 issue of the East County Observer.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].