Olivia P Tucker
Times Reporter
Scott County Council denied $5 per hour raises to wages for the Scott County Sheriff Deputies and Jailers for the remainder of the year as emotions boiled over at regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
Sheriff Jerry Goodin had sought the increases to keep county law enforcement deputies from going to other police agencies for higher pay.
There was an overflow crowd on hand that filled the commissioners’ room and spilled out into the hallway to speak their concerns to the council.
One of the big concerns that drew the crowd to the meeting, is that due to the shortage of police officers not just affecting Scott County but nationally. Sheriff Jerry Goodin earlier made a statement on Facebook about the possibility of pulling School Resource Officers from Johnson, Vienna-Finley, and Lexington Elementary needing the manpower for road deputies to patrol.
Goodin said that he had been back and forth negotiating with the county council for $5 pay raise to be able to retain and recruit more deputies to come to work in Scott County.
“I am asking you as a taxpayer of this county, to do the right thing for the people of this county. Not only for its citizens that pay taxes but for those children in those schools,” said resident Raymond Deaton. “Do the right thing, let the hatred go, we’ve seen it for a long time now since [Sheriff Goodin] came into office. He has been been treated bad, vilified by some of the local elected officials. We need to do the right thing for the people of this county.”
Marcella Campbell said, “I would like to speak on behalf of Jerry Goodin. I come to a lot of these meetings, he’s done nothing but been fair and honest. It seems like everything he comes for he gets shot down by the council.”
She said that the grudges needed to be let go by the council and do what is best for Scott County.
Council Vice President JR Ward read a statement on the 2024 budget and the decisions the council had to make. He addressed the slow population growth of the county, the median income being $45,794 and that the county would receive less than $80,000 additional tax dollars in 2024 than what was spent in 2023.
“During a current review of this information, I noted that Sheriff Goodin currently has 13 police employees on payroll not counting himself, the chief or matron of the jail,” said Ward, a former sheriff’s deputy in Scott County. “Of the 13 police employees four of them have been employed less than one year as a full time status, leaving nine employees. Looking at those nine employee’s 2022 salaries seven of them are in excess of $60,000 a year.”
“I ask you to consider what is a fair wage to ask a human to strap on a gun and bulletproof vest and take the chance of going to work and not coming home?” queried Ward, “I think you all will agree it’s impossible to put a dollar figure on someone’s worth like that. We as a council have had to make many tough choices with budgets and one of them is that we regret we do not believe at this time we are able to give $5 per hour raise as well as a 10 percent increase that has been requested by the sheriff.”
Ward said that the county plans to have a balanced budget that gives all county employees a 5 percent raise and within that budget should fund the School Resource Officers to have no reason to be pulled out of the schools. The choice to pull the officers would be a choice made by Goodin and not due to the lack of funds.”
Council President Lyndi Hughbanks read a statement from the county’s financial consultant Baker Tilly, “We were asked early on in the process to review the county sheriff’s budget. Baker Tilly worked with the sheriff’s department to develop a plan funding his department budget from 3 funds, the general, special LIT (Local Income Tax) and public safety LIT.”
Hughbanks asked if Goodin had any new information he would like to add about the salaries, which he responded “Here’s what I ask, let me complete what I want to say. I didn’t interrupt you folks while you said your speaking part. All that I ask is to be able to speak to the board.
Goodin said that his salary is 60 percent of the prosecutor salary set by state law and he hasn’t asked the council for any more money on his own salary which is not required by state law.
“As far as people leaving,” said Goodin, “let me tell you something, leadership’s tough. Anybody out here (at this meeting) that’s dealt with people on a regular basis, know that leadership’s tough.”
“A funded position means that the council and the commissioners have approved a position to be hired. Once that position is hired the county council sets the position’s pay. You have funded the merit deputies at one of the lowest pay rates across the state of Indiana. You may say that it is fully funded, but no it’s not. You can allow me to hire 50 police officers, but I can’t hire anybody at the rate we are at.”
“I want to tell everyone here that’s in the crowd, don’t let smoke and mirrors and all of this stuff that [the council] is talking about dilute the fact that we are here tonight for one reason,” said Goodin, “We are only here for one single reason and that reason is that our deputies are some of the lowest paid police officers across the state of Indiana.”
Before Goodin could finish Councilman Ward said, “Madame President, I would call for a vote so we can move back to the agenda.”
“And this is the thing that happened before, I think this has been tabled six times for various reasons,” replied Goodin. “I ask if I can speak my peace and because the council doesn’t want me to. They don’t want the truth be told, they try to cut me off. I am completely appalled if that is what you all want to continue to make up the lies and the accusations in what you’ve done.”
Hughbanks said as Goodin spoke, “Sheriff, we have a motion on the floor.”
Immediately the crowd uproared in support of Goodin being able to speak but Hughbanks used the gavel to silence the crowd and stated again that a motion was made.
Goodin asked that the vote be taken to a role call vote, which Hughbanks looked to Ward for a change of motion, who simply said, “carry on.”
The council voted 5-0 to deny $5 raises brought an immediate “wow” heard from the crowd. Councilman John Miller abstained from the vote and Diane Mullins was not present during the vote.