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)
"I have to tell you, probably the last six months has been the most challenging time of my career, but I think we're going in the right direction," Hammond told the commission Wednesday.
In a resolution proposed to the commission, to be voted on next week, Hammond asked the board to "increase the sheriff's compensation from $149,068 to a salary deemed appropriate by the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners."
Hammond said that the Knox County sheriff and the Rutherford County sheriff make over $180,000 and $160,000, respectively, despite being comparably sized counties to Hamilton.
"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 the letter. "For these reasons, I am asking that you raise the compensation of the sheriff to that which reflects the work of the sheriff."
Commissioner Warren Mackey, D-Chattanooga, supported Hammond, saying the proposal was "quite logical."
"The logic that you presented to why you should receive - why that office should receive - that increase is very sound, and if nobody beats me to do it, I'm going to make the motion next week to approve," Mackey said.
Several other commissioners had qualms about raising the sheriff's pay, including Commissioner Greg Martin, R- Hixson, who took issue with the whole resolution.
"I'm not sure I can support a raise at this time, and I know I can't support something that is as ambiguous as this is when it comes to the amount of money," Martin said.
Commission Chairman Chip Baker, R-Chattanooga, echoed Martin's concerns about the ambiguity. County Attorney Rheubin Taylor told the commissioners they could rewrite the resolution to include a specific number before voting.
Still, some commissioners had pause about increasing Hammond's pay.
"I still don't think our deputies in the sheriff's department are where they should be, making what they should be making, the amount they deserve to make," said Commissioner Randy Fairbanks, R-Soddy Daisy.
He expressed concern for deputies whose starting pay is often under $40,000.
"So this commissioner has a problem with a resolution like this increasing the pay of the sheriff's position when our deputies are still, what I consider, underpaid," Fairbanks said.
Commissioner Katherlyn Geter, D-Chattanooga, also contested the raise, criticizing the sheriff"s use of the word "equity" when comparing his pay to that of other sheriffs.
"Unlike some of my colleagues, when I received the letter, I did read it, and I did not get warm goosebumps when I read it," Geter said of Hammond's plea.
"One of the things that was very disturbing when I read this letter was some of the wording and language that was used. One of the words that stood out more than anything, that really touched me, was the word 'equity,'" Geter said, questioning the office's diversity. "And if we're going to use 'equity' here in Hamilton County, we need to get it right, and I don't feel like we've gotten it right at all."
Hammond made a request for a $20,000 raise last year, which failed because no one made a motion to approve it.
Contact Sarah Grace Taylor at staylor@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416. Follow her on Twitter @_sarahgtaylor.