The Hamilton County Commission voted Wednesday to increase the pay for the county sheriff’s position to the legal maximum, but not until next year, so the action won’t benefit the current sheriff.
Last week, sitting Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond asked the commission to raise the pay for his position by as much as $21,000, to compensate himself and future sheriffs for additional work the office faces after taking over operations of the Silverdale Correctional Facility this year from a private contractor.
Hammond, who has been sheriff for 13 years and will not seek re-election next year, asked for the commission to raise his pay by an amount “deemed appropriate” by the board that kept his pay at least 5% lower than that of the county mayor, as required under state law.
That could have raised his pay more than $21,400, or 14%, from just over $149,000 to about $171,000, which Hammond said is commensurate with his duties.
“In August of 2021 I am proud to say that the mission we prepared so diligently for last year has been effectively carried out. There will always be areas of improvement and certainly we have progress to make, but we are safely and securely operating a county jail with around 1,100 inmates,” Hammond wrote in a letter to the commission earlier this month. “For these reasons, I am asking that you raise the compensation of the sheriff to that which reflects the work of the sheriff.”