Employees at the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office should be getting a $6,000 raise next month, after St. Lucie County commissioners approved a larger budget for the sheriff in the next fiscal year's budget.
County commissioners Thursday approved the next budget, which includes $5 million more for the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.
With that added money, in part, Sheriff Keith Pearson promised he'd be able to give the majority of civilian and sworn employees $6,000 raises. In Thursday's budget hearing, Pearson said that amounts to a more than 18% raise for the lowest paid civilians. The only employees who would not see a raise, he said, were those who already maxed out the pay for their position.
"Since day one, our greatest asset is our employees," Pearson told commissioners.
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St. Lucie Co. sheriff wants raises across the board, including for himself
In previous budget negotiations under Sheriff Ken Mascara, Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky said additional money was given to the sheriff's office with the impression it would help with raises, but ended up not being used for raises.
He asked Sheriff Pearson to promise to use the additional funds for that purpose.
“I know you’ve said it, but on the record, can you tell us that these funds will go to the $6,000 per employee including sworn officers and civil employees?" Dzadovsky asked.
“That was my number one goal at the first budget, that is my goal tonight. That is the projection with these numbers to do," Pearson said.
The vice president for the union representing St. Lucie County deputies, Tina Speicker, also spoke in front of the commission, urging commissioners not to approve a $5 million addition to the budget. She says money previously approved to give raises should be used for that purpose first.
“It’s bad enough that this board gave Sheriff Mascara an additional $6.5 million for alleged pay raises that did not occur, especially since this stand-in sheriff could very well have given these raises to everyone,” Speicker said. “It is not fair or just to the taxpayers of this county to fund another dollar to a sheriff that is not accountable or fiscal with taxpayer money.”
Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the $5 million addition to the budget.
For deputies who are part of the union, the union still has to ratify a contract to determine raises.
Non-union employees will see raises, according to Pearson, Oct. 1.
