Colusa board gives sheriff 7.9 percent raise
Colusa County Sheriff Scott Marshall received a 7.9 percent raise Tuesday, bumping his annual salary from $107,616 to $116,220.
The supervisors based the decision on the fact Marshall's salary was below the pay given to other elected sheriffs in comparable counties.
"Again, we were looking at wages of department heads, and this was way low for our similar counties," said Cindy Lovelace, assistant director of the Personnel Department.
The similar counties are Amador, Butte, Glenn, Lake, Shasta, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba.
The lowest salary in the group is $8,729 per month in Glenn. The highest is $14,580 per month in Yolo.
Marshall's monthly salary prior to the raise was $8,968. The raise takes it to $9,685. The salary increase goes into effect April 1.
The vote was taken without comment by the supervisors.
The action was taken after the board also raised the top salary level of the Health and Human Services and Behavioral Health Services directors positions.
Both of those positions are vacant.
The Personnel Department believed the salary levels offered by the county needed to be raised to a competitive level with similar counties in order to recruit qualified applicants.
The top monthly salary for Health and Human Services director was set at $9,533, while the top monthly pay for the Behavioral Health Services director was set at $9,081.
Both those represent the top step in the salary schedule. It does not mean the board will hire someone at that rate.
Depending on experience and qualifications, the board may choose to hire at any of the four lower steps, it was reposed.
In other matters, the board:
• Hired William Fenton as the interim chief probation officer at a rate of $54.76 per hour. The decision was retroactive to March 5.
• Appointed Dennis J. Newgard to the Colusa Cemetery District. He replaced Ken Flagor, who resigned. The term runs from March 13 to March 14, 2016.
• Re-appointed Lorraine Marsh, James Erdman and G. Bruce Rolen to the Colusa County Groundwater Management committee from March 13 to March 14, 2017.
• Agreed to pay $2,240 a month, plus expenses, for a deputy sheriff trainee while at the Butte College academy. The trainee has agreed to sign on with the Colusa County Sheriff's Department after finishing the academy program.
• Hired the consulting firm of Swatt/Miers Architects to complete the Animal Control Assessment and Feasibility Study at a rate of $30,250. The study will determine the county's animal control facility needs into the future, which will tell the department how much land will be needed to relocate and build the new facility. The old site is targeted for the new juvenile detention center.
