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."
Hammond said last week that would bring him closer to the Knox County sheriff and the Rutherford County sheriff, who oversee comparably sized counties to Hamilton and make more than $180,000 and $160,000, respectively.
On Wednesday, the commission voted to increase pay for the office of sheriff to be 95% of the mayor's pay, in perpetuity.
"Instead of placing an exact number on this resolution, the resolution should include the formula - 95% of the mayor's pay," Commissioner Tim Boyd, R-Chattanooga, said Wednesday, offering an idea that won commission approval. "As the mayor's pay adjusts, [the sheriff's pay] automatically adjusts, and he won't come before the commission anymore."
Another amendment proposed by Commissioner Warren Mackey, D-Chattanooga, and adopted by his peers makes the pay increase effective Sept. 01, 2022, excluding Hammond.
"Last week I indicated, based on what was written, the additional responsibilities, etc., that I would support the motion," Mackey said during the meeting. "In the last week, I've talked to many people, pastors and others in the district, and it seems that the only way I could support this resolution is if the present sheriff's pay wasn't impacted; that this wouldn't go into effect until next year after Sheriff Hammond is gone."
After the meeting Mackey told the Times Free Press that members of the public, who have protested Hammond for years, felt the sheriff had mishandled recent incidents of brutality in the department and shouldn't receive a pay increase.
"There were a couple instances where videos went viral of deputies beating up Black guys," Mackey, the only Black man on the commission, said late Wednesday, citing a viral video of the 2018 beating of a handcuffed local Black man.
"They wanted to hold me and hold the sheriff accountable," Mackey said. "For the most part, the citizens are supportive of law enforcement, but when they see them beating on this man, they don't think it earns the sheriff a raise."
Hammond - who tried for a $20,000 raise last year, which the commission didn't even vote on - said he was disappointed to be excluded.
"Let me say thank you to those who supported my efforts to increase the salary based on the Tennessee law and my fellow sheriffs, who said 'sheriff, I don't understand why you don't get this already, we get it in our counties.' Secondly, for those that chose to move it on to the next sheriff, I think that's a great thing because the next sheriff is going to have all the same responsibilities," Hammond said. "A final statement, I am extremely disappointed that this commission would not see fit - for the job they say I've done - to give me this raise. But I will continue to serve this county to the best of my ability."
Boyd and Mackey both supported the action. The resolution was also supported by Chairman Chip Baker of Chattanooga and Commissioners Sabrena Smedley and Steve Highlander of Ooltewah, all Republicans, along with David Sharpe, a Chattanooga Democrat.
Republican Commissioners Randy Fairbanks of Soddy-Daisy and Greg Martin of Hixson and Democrat Katherlyn Geter of Chattanooga voted against the pay raise altogether.
"The main reason that I'm against this is every one of us in government, every one of us in government, from the sheriff to the commissioners to the mayor, teachers, to people in public works, all during this COVID lockdown, we've all gotten a paycheck. Every one of us," Martin said. "But there are a lot of people out there in our community who've lost jobs, who've lost wages, who've lost their incomes.
"I think the timing of this is most inappropriate."
Fairbanks echoed his concerns from last week, saying he could not support the pay increase without assurance that sheriff's deputies were being adequately paid.
Hammond and sheriff's office Director of Finance Ron Bernard said the sheriff's office is reviewing pay for deputies to ensure their wages are competitive with the market.
Contact Sarah Grace Taylor at staylor@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416. Follow her on Twitter @_sarahgtaylor.