Deputies Ask St. Charles County to Fix Salary Issues

Deputy Scott Ginnever and other St. Charles County law enforcement officers asked members to restore a pay raise to deputies and to address a confusing pay scale for all employees.

“It’s embarrassing to say, but I’m on government assistance,” Ginnever told council members during their Monday meeting. “I have an EBT (electronic benefit transfer for food stamps) card to pay for groceries.”

He has eight children, and his wife doesn’t work, Ginnever said. He works overtime and other jobs to meet expenses. Meanwhile, pay advances haven’t come regularly, he said.

Paramount among deputies' frustrations is that those with 10 or more years of experience in law enforcement don’t make much more than rookie officers, he said.

“It’s disheartening to find out a guy just starting out is making just $1,500 less than me,” Ginnever said.

In December, County Executive Steve Ehlmann vetoed a budget line item that would have given deputies with 10 or more years experience a $2,500 increase above the 3 percent raise, including a 2 percent merit raise, for all county employees. Ehlmann said singling out deputies for a pay increase was not fair to other county employees who face the same issues.

The county council did not vote on overturning the veto. Chairwoman Nancy Matheny (R-District 3) said the council first wants to re-examine a pay study done in 2008 that planned to address the pay issues.

“Plus, it’s unfunded,” Matheny said. “We wanted to make sure the contracts with the school districts are in place.”

Among the ways the county planned to pay for the pay hike was to have the Francis Howell and Orchard Farm School districts pay half of the salaries for school resource officers. Ehlmann said Francis Howell officials have indicated they want to discuss the contracts, but the county has not yet heard from Orchard Farm.

Squeezed in middle

In a work session before the regular session, Director of Administration Chuck Gross told the board that a 2008 St. Charles County pay study recommends how to address compression, or lack of compensation for those with more experience. In 2008, the county council chose to bring people on the lower end of the pay scale up to minimum levels, he said.

Then, the economic recession forced budget cuts, eliminating the chance for any pay increases at all for the past two years, Gross said.

“We could have addressed compression (in the 2012 budget), but we consciously decided that as much as we wanted to address compression, people have not had a raise for two years,” Gross said.

Council members agreed to look at the pay study to determine what they can do to address compression and overall pay.

That didn’t satisfy the deputies or Sheriff Tom Neer, who said adequate pay for deputies has been a problem since he started with the department 38 years ago.

“We have been pay-studied to death,” Neer said.

“No. 1, the sheriff’s department is the lowest paid of the four largest law enforcement agencies in the county,” Neer said. “Second, it’s an established fact that a tenured officer makes about the same as a starting officer. One officer has been here 21 years, and he makes $3,000 more than an officer who starts tomorrow.”

Detective Bret Jansen said he agreed with Ehlmann in one respect.

“All county employees have been treated unfairly for way too long,” Jansen told the council.

“We the workers, and not just the deputies, are begging the council to fix the pay plan,” he said. “Adopt something that makes sense, because the current pay plan is worse than the last one we had to deal with.”

He said that often the deputies speak up for all employees, but there is a key difference between deputies and other county workers.

“We work weekends, evenings and midnight shifts, holidays,” Jansen said. “We work when county government is closed because there’s too much snow or ice. We’re subject to call out due to hostage situations, found explosive devices, serious and fatal car accidents, lost or missing people.

“We’ll run for the fight while everyone else is running away,” he said. “This is a very dangerous job. That’s just a few reasons why this job is different than all other county employees.”

Deputies get small hike

During the meeting, the county accepted a $65,332 grant from the state to give a small raise for St. Charles County deputies. Deputies with five or more years experience will get a slightly higher increase than those with less than five years.

The money comes from a $10 fee charged when deputies deliver subpoenas and other court summons. Finance Director Bob Schnur told the council St. Charles has paid more than $500,000 into the fund since

Ehlmann said that paying more than $500,000 into a program and getting $65,000 back wasn't a good deal. Ehlmann unsuccessfully challenged the state law when it was passed. He believes each county should keep the money for its own deputy salaries.

"But thanks hard work by Tom Neer, we'll at least get some of it back," he told the council.

Officers elected

At the beginning of the regular session, the council elected new officers. Matheny was unanimously elected as chairwoman, and Councilman Terry Hollander, (R-District 5) of St. Charles, was elected vice chairman.

Matheny was vice chairwoman in 2011. Councilman Joe Brazil (R-District 2) is the outgoing chairman.