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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Sheriff wants second $15K salary boost for emergency management duties
Sean Proctor | sproctor@mlive.com
Print Email Molly Young | myoung7@mlive.com By Molly Young | myoung7@mlive.com
on December 02, 2016 at 6:00 AM, updated December 02, 2016 at 6:07 AM
GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- Genesee County Sheriff Robert J. Pickell is asking for another $15,000 boost in pay.
The county board of commissioners is expected to decide early next year on Pickell's request for more money to oversee what was the county's Emergency Management & Homeland Security Department.
The vote was set for this week but then rescheduled for after new county commissioners take their seats.
"My understanding that it got pulled from the agenda. It probably won't be voted on until after the first of the year when the sheriff thinks he is comfortable with five votes," said board Chair Jamie Curtis, who lost his reelection bid last month.
In all, the commission will have five new members in January.
Pickell could not be reached for comment.
If approved, it would be the second $15,000 salary increase since the sheriff assumed oversight of the department in 2010.
The department was responsible for coordinating responses to major disasters. When the Flint water crisis hit, the sheriff's office used its work detail to go door-to-door distributing water and filters in Flint. A reverse 911 call from Pickell also went out to Flint residents to inform them of available resources.
In 2010, the sheriff's salary got an initial $15,000 boost when the two-person department was cut in half and folded into the sheriff's office.
At the time, commissioners - including Curtis - said the merger created a savings of more than $60,000 a year, far greater than the extra pay they approved for the sheriff.
But now, Curtis says he believes the county has financially rebounded enough to make it a standalone department again.
"Personally, I really think the county Board of Commissioners needs to separate that back out and let it be the director and assistant director in a standalone department and roll back the $15,000 from the sheriff's salary," Curtis said. "It's not necessary. In 2010, you could justify it. In 2016, you can't justify it, and to give him any more money is absolutely not justifiable in any way, shape or form."
The sheriff's request comes about a year after the head of homeland security submitted her resignation a week after filing a sex discrimination complaint against Pickell.
In that incident, Jenifier Boyer, submitted her resignation on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, after filing a sexual discrimination in the workplace complaint on Nov. 13.
Former Grand Blanc Township police Chief David Stamm took over the position after his January 2016 retirement from the police force.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Mon Dec 12, 2016 4:57 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Fri Dec 02, 2016 6:17 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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$10K raise votes postponed for sheriff, Genesee County commissioners
Print Email
Molly Young | myoung7@mlive.com By Molly Young | myoung7@mlive.com
on December 12, 2016 at 2:50 PM, updated December 12, 2016 at 2:51 PM
GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- Votes were postponed on proposals to increase the salaries of Genesee County commissioners and the county sheriff by $10,000.
Commissioners were expected to vote on the proposals Monday, Dec. 12, but the vote was pulled from the agenda and postponed.
If passed, the commissioners' salaries would increase by $10,000 for the 2017-2018 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, 2017.
There has been no timetable given on when the proposals will next appear before the board.
Currently, the salary for a Genesee County commissioner is about $33,000, and that's enough for the amount of work they do, said Jamie Curtis, board chair.
"The raise is absolutely ludicrous. They're part-time, and there isn't one of those incumbents down there that work more than 10 hours a week -- more than 10 hours a month, basically. You just can't justify it," Curtis said.
County Commissioner Ted Henry disagrees. He says if the board is doing less work, it's because the chairman delegated issues the board used to tackle to other departments.
And it's not just the commissioners -- a lot of county employees deserve a raise and have not gotten one in years, he says.
"A lot of employees at the county deserve a raise -- they're doing more work with less people," Henry said. "We need to plan for it (in the budget) -- you can't just spring it out there. And we can plan for it. We have planned for expenditures in the past worth a lot more money than this."
Sheriff wants second $15K salary increase for emergency management duties
Henry claims increasing the salary for commissioners would attract more people to run for board seats.
"Who can afford that position? You'd need a flexible job with a flexible schedule to do it. Otherwise, a young man or a young lady that has to make more than $30,000 isn't going to take the job," he said. "It opens the door to a bigger field, and I think you'll get more people interested in running for the position."
Henry said he will push for the board to allow a temporary committee to re-evaluate county employee salaries and raises in February 2017.
It's the second time this month the board was expected to consider raises for county employees. About two weeks ago, Pickell asked for a $15,000 boost for his oversight of the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Department. At the time, it was pulled from the agenda and postponed.
Pickell currently earns $112,469 annually.
On Monday, Dec. 12, commissioners were expected to consider $10,000 wage increase for the sheriff, but it was again pulled from the agenda and postponed.
Curtis, who lost reelection in the August primary, believes commissioners who support the raise are simply waiting for new commissioners to take their seats in January, but even then, he doesn't believe it will pass.
"It's over now. The five newcomers would be committing political suicide by voting for a raise for themselves in their first term," Curtis said. "It's just plain wrong and bad for everybody. Taxpayers would have paid the ultimate price." |
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Mon Dec 12, 2016 4:56 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Archie Bailey: The McArthur Letter
Page Liked · August 19 ·
Pickell and the Board of Commissioners take MAJOR hit in federal court
➡️ BREAKING NEWS
🔹 Like and share so others know
Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell et al received a major hit when the Honorable Federal District Court Judge George Caram Steeh ruled in favor of the deputized Genesee County process servers fired by Pickell after the 2016 General Election.
Posts below reveal that Pickell’s Committee to Retain Sheriff Robert Pickell raised a staggering $240,000 in re-election campaign contributions. $240,000 is an unpreceded amount for a sheriff’s election in Genesee County. Approximately one-third was contributed by a single donor who was later given exclusive process serving authority after Pickell won the election. Pickell fired the county’s 40 deputized process servers.
The deputies filed suit in federal court. Scott Batey, the attorney representing the deputies, wrote a solid argument on their behalf asking Judge Steeh to deny Pickell and the Board of Commissioners’ attempts to stall, derail the civil R.I.C.O. portion of the deputies’ case and complicate the proceedings. Judge Steeh agreed with attorney Batey and the case will proceed. |
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Fri Aug 25, 2017 7:47 am |
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