Over the last three years Placer County and the labor union (DSA) that represents our non-management Sheriff’s employees, have been in negotiations trying diligently to address the escalation of salaries and benefits which is outpacing the growth in revenues.  The Board has steadfastly supported our Sheriff’s budget and in the past increased special pays to ensure that our deputies are compensated at the top in the region. Unfortunately, those special pays are not included in comparisons used for salary adjustments and the compounding impacts have created a financial condition that is not sustainable.    

The labor negotiation process while extremely lengthy, includes legal protections to ensure the employees’ rights. The County has been proceeding through the process, following all required legal steps which have now resulted in the Board’s decision next Tuesday on whether to resolve the impasse.

I want to continue to assure you that there is NO proposal by the Board of Supervisors to cut the Sheriff’s budget or their salaries. In fact, our Board and our community has strongly supported our law enforcement professionals by increasing contributions to the Sheriff’s budget on average 8.8% annually over the past twenty years. Part of that increase includes annual salary increases for deputies, driven by the Measure F formula, averaging 3.8% each year over the past twenty years. As a result, Deputy Sheriff annual salary increases have significantly outpaced both general County employees’ annual increases and the Consumer Price Index for the last 10 years. For reference, please see the 5-year graph and the 10-year chart below. These salary increases combined with all other special pays and benefits has lead to our deputies’ TOTAL compensation being 20% above the surrounding jurisdictions. 

The Board’s goal is to ensure that we are protecting your tax dollars by anticipating and planning for the long-term financial implications of top-tier law enforcement services. These plans must also consider the compounding of pensions that are most often longer than years of service.  Our responsibility is to make sure that we as taxpayers can afford these future cost escalations. The voters’ enactment of the Placer County Charter in 1980 vested the Board with responsibility to negotiate on behalf of the taxpayers and thus superseded the Measure F formula enacted in 1977. Until now, the Board voluntarily continued to follow the formula and even chose to enhance the benefits when the formula-driven salary adjustments weren’t enough to ensure our recruitment and retention of staff.  However, as discussed above, the Board must address the current and future economic situation created by Measure F. 

The proposal before us now is to look at the total compensation, including all the special pays and pension benefits, to ensure that we stay competitive but also stay within what you can afford.    

As I stated at the Board meeting, our community should be proud - we have the best, we want the best, and we will continue to pay the best. I encourage you to reach out with any additional comments or questions.