Sheriff Jim Hammond is again requesting an increase in pay, garnering mixed feedback from members of the Hamilton County Commission.
Hammond, who has been sheriff for 13 years and does not intend to seek re-election at the end of his term in 2022, asked the commission to increase his pay by an unspecified amount in a letter earlier this month.
State law requires the sheriff and other constitutional officers to be paid at least 5% less than the county mayor. Currently, Hammond makes just over $149,000 and Mayor Jim Coppinger makes $179,460. That means Hammond’s salary could be brought up to as high as $170,487, a raise of over $21,400, or roughly a 14% increase over the sheriff’s current salary.
While it would only affect his pay for a few more months, Hammond argued his successor will also deserve higher compensation to reflect the growing size of the department and its increasing list of responsibilities, including most significantly the county’s takeover of previously privately run Silverdale Detention Center.
(READ MORE: Hamilton County jail merger on track for separation from CoreCivic by end of year)