Present sheriff’s HQ termed too small for MCSO current needs
Present sheriff’s HQ by Larry Chowning –
At the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors (MCBS) first-of-year work session on Friday, Jan. 8, Hartfield representative John Koontz named his number one priority for the upcoming fiscal year as increasing salaries for Middlesex County deputies and other county law enforcement personnel.
“Our county deputies are a major piece of fabric in our county and they are not being paid enough,” said Koontz. “We need to up the pay because when you compensate below market you get below market service.”
Koontz noted that the Middle Peninsula Regional Security Center Jail Board recently gave a 16% pay raise to guards at the Saluda jail and others, increasing their annual start-up salary to $42,000. This was largely due because the jail’s starting salary was so low that applicants were not applying for jobs at the jail, he said.
Koontz also informed supervisors that Gloucester County has the highest start-up pay of surrounding counties for deputies at $44,000 per year. Middlesex County’s starting pay is about $34,000 annually.
“We have let this go too long,” said Koontz…
