County hears sheriff on bill to protect officer pay

Peg to troopers' salaries cost police last year

Friday, May 7, 2010

With some changed wording in the county code, Charles County sheriff's officers no longer would receive salary cuts identical to those of Maryland State Police. The officers' earnings currently follow any dips or rises in trooper pay.

"I only see this as a win-win for us," said Sheriff Rex W. Coffey while presenting the proposal to the commissioners. "Morale is a huge issue in any police agency. And to move backwards would be a real morale-buster."

Commissioners Gary V. Hodge and Reuben B. Collins II expressed concerns that under the proposal, the county would have to fund pay increases for sheriff's officers corresponding to state trooper earnings.

"While we don't want you to have to be required to take reductions in pay, we don't necessarily want the state to be able to mandate an increase in pay, either, that the county can't afford to pay," Hodge said.

However, Hodge (D) and Collins (D) said they understood wanting to ensure officer pay isn't set back by state officials' decisions.

Coffey (D) said he doesn't believe the intent of the county code ever was to drag sheriff's officers' salaries downward, but simply to keep pace with state trooper increases.

Last year, sheriff's officers took a 2.5 percent pay cut after the state government slashed MSP wages by that amount, Maj. Joseph "Buddy" Gibson said at the commissioners meeting. Tuesday, Coffey said he has heard rumors the state might make more cuts to trooper earnings in the near future. However, it isn't yet clear what the next fiscal year holds for state police, Gibson and Coffey said.

Commissioners' President F. Wayne Cooper said he understood the proposal, but asked whether with the code revisions, the sheriff would have the option of making salary cuts.

Gibson said the sheriff couldn't lower wages but could take other measures if necessary, such as implementing furloughs, different from pay decreases because they don't affect officers' retirement benefits. He said that although officers received a bonus to offset last year's 2.5 percent pay cut, the extra cash didn't factor into their base salaries, which determines their retirement benefits.

Since the benefits are calculated from officers' base salaries during the first pay period, the wage decreases in the fall didn't affect their retirement. County police proposed the current legislation so the cuts won't hurt officers' pensions in the upcoming fiscal year.

"Basically, this whole measure is to protect the sheriff's office retirement plan," Gibson said of the proposal.

Cooper (D) asked whether, in that case, a change to the retirement plan might be more effective than the suggested rewording of the county code.

Gibson said that to his understanding, the pension plan can't be altered to take bonuses into account, but that if it can be changed to bring about a viable solution, "that would be great."

Coffey added that while he knows more tough economic times might lie ahead, he wants more control over trimming the agency budget.

"If the county so deemed we need to give back 1 or 2 percent … then give us the opportunity to come up with the money, not take it from us," Coffey said.

The commissioners said they would like to more closely examine the bill before moving forward with a vote.