MACON, Ga. — Bibb County leaders are trying to plug a hole in the Sheriff's Office that's leaking deputies faster than they can be replaced.
Fully-staffed, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office (BSO) would have 615 deputies, their public information office says.
Right now, the agency is nowhere near that number.
Sheriff David Davis says his agency is between 100 and 150 deputies off that mark.
That means roughly 20% of the full force is missing.
Davis says that shortage contributed to the 139 shootings Bibb County saw in 2019. Low deputy pay, he says, contributed to the shortage.
"Every one of those agencies in Houston County makes considerably more in starting salary than the Bibb County Sheriff's Office does," he said.
The same goes for Monroe County deputies. According to the sheriff, starting deputy salary there is roughly $5,000 more than in Bibb.
Davis says that disparity between neighboring agencies is making it tough for BSO to recruit new deputies and keep the ones they already have.
In December, he told 13WMAZ 24 new deputies had joined BSO in 2019, but 40 had left.
What are county legislators doing about it? Davis says he's waiting to find out.
"Whenever we see the salary study that's supposed to be implemented, when we see what it shows, and we see a commitment from the commissioners to follow through with how much that's going to cost," he said he'll have a better idea of their intentions.
"There is going to be a cost for [raising deputy pay], and that's where I'm asking the citizens of Macon-Bibb to understand there's a cost for that and understand that some of that burden may be asked to be placed on them," he added.
The pay study Davis mentioned is examining all county employees' salaries, and, in some cases, will likely recommend changes.
We took the topic to commissioner Elaine Lucas and asked her if the study recommends an increase in starting deputy salary where the money will come from.
"We've got to be creative," she said. "What we've been doing is tightening our belts so we start to accumulate more money in our savings, our bottom line."
She added that part of the solution, in her view, might require a tax increase.
"I also favor the OLOST, which is a sales tax," she said. "Nobody likes (it), but at least it's one that's spread over everybody who makes purchases."
She said money from that increased sales could potentially be used to roll back some property taxes and also give the Bibb County government some much-needed cash.
Lucas wasn't the only commissioner thinking about a tax bump either.
Commissioner Al Tillman said he'd be open to an OLOST increase. In his vision, the revenue generated would be split between rolling back property taxes and funding public safety.
Commissioner Virgil Watkins said he plans to introduce a measure next week to give all county employees a raise. He said his plan would cost the county about $7.7 million. He said this would bring law enforcement and firefighter starting pay into the "$40,000 range." When asked how he'd pay for it, Watkins said, "Increased revenues of the county which may or may not include a tax increase." He said he's also not opposed to a millage rate increase if it's needed to increase deputy pay.
Commissioner Mallory Jones said, "We've got to have a pay increase." His plan to fund it calls for a 1% OLOST. He, like Tillman, said he'd like to see the revenues split between public safety funding and rolling back the millage rate. Jones said with his plan, "We can roll back the millage (rate) three-and-a-half points."
In a written statement, Commissioner Valerie Wynn said the following:
"In order to increase deputy salaries, a revenue source would be necessary. The most probable source may be an OLOST which would be an additional penny sales tax. This would be the most equitable way for all our citizens to share in the tax and it would provide for the safety of all our citizens. In addition, such a tax will also come from people outside our city as they come to Macon to dine and shop. We must insure--and I stress this--that the extra sales tax would be designated to roll back property taxes and for the deputy's salaries and for no other use.
The pay scale will guide us on appropriate salaries for all our employees."
Over the phone, Commissioner Scotty Shepherd said he's worried about the deputy shortage but will not vote for a tax increase. "I'm not going to raise taxes -- if that comes up, I'll vote against it," he said. He says he's looking for areas in the budget to cut to free up funds to support public safety. When asked, he wouldn't yet say what he thinks should be cut.
Mayor Robert Reichert could not be reached for his comment, but his spokesman released the following statement:
"We advocated for an updated salary study so we can make sure all positions can receive the pay that matches the actual daily duties and responsibilities. For example, we have half the electricians now than we did in 2014, so they have taken on extra jobs, making the old (pay) study obsolete.
We will be using the salary study to determine how much will be needed to implement it. Until we know the amount needed, we won't know how it will impact the overall budget. The goal, though, would be to make it happen without a tax increase.
A tax increase happened a few years ago to help fund a salary increase for deputies and firefighters."
Over the phone, Commissioner Joe Allen said he doesn’t like the idea of raising taxes, but said if it’s needed, he’d support. “When something needs to be done,” he said, “You need to bite the bullet and do the right thing.”
Commissioner Larry Schlesinger also gave a statement through text, saying, "Competitive salaries for our first responders and county employees are an immediate priority, but I believe that it's not the responsibility of property owners to continually bear the full tax burden for services that benefit one and all."
Schlesinger said it was difficult to give a definitive answer without all of the facts, and that he would wait until the pay study results come out to comment further.
Commissioner Bert Bivins did not return 13WMAZ's request for comment.
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