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County votes yes to pay increases
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Duane Sherrill photo DeKalb Sherriff Patrick Ray told commissioners this past week that he had lost many deputies because of the lack of pay raises afforded to his department the past few years. The commission voted to grant raises for the sheriffs employees as well as other county workers, with the notable exception of the ambulance service.

Amid an impassioned plea for help from Sheriff Patrick Ray, the DeKalb County commission approved raises for the law enforcement agency and other county employees with the exception of the emergency ambulance service.

“It’s making it a hardship to work for the sheriff’s department,” Ray maintained in addressing the 14-member commission before it voted on the pay increase. “I’ve lost nine employees recently, that’s 50-plus years of experience, gone.”

The losses, Ray said, included a chief deputy, with most new hires costing $15,000 apiece to train.

“”I’ve tried to be patient,” the sheriff said of being passed over when other county employees were getting raises.

The debate over whether to grant raises and who would get the raises lasted several minutes during the commission meeting as the representatives took part in a heated debate. Commissioners voted down three other options before settling on the measure.

Passing by an overwhelming 11-3 margin, the raises will be retroactive back to the beginning of the year.

The raises themselves will be based on a tier system, dependent on where the employee works and how long he or she has served with that particular department.