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For a job that doesn't even require a high school diploma pigs are paid very well! $47,000 for piggies in Pinal County! Pigs in most Phoenix area cities start at around $50,000, and again that doesn't even require a high school diploma.
County supervisors: Babeu can't close deputy pay gap by Lindsey Collom - Dec. 21, 2011 09:30 PM The Arizona Republic Pinal County supervisors have shot down a request by Sheriff Paul Babeu to raise the salaries of 27 deputies to close a pay gap with their less experienced counterparts. Supervisors denied the motion Wednesday, citing a resolution they passed in June to halt any pay increases for county employees in fiscal year 2012 no matter the funding source. The pay disparity was first noted by county resources staff in June, when the Sheriff's Office implemented a starting salary of more than $47,000 for new recruits. In April, the starting salary for the same position was about $2,000 less. Brandi Clark, the sheriff's human resources manager, said a deputy's starting salary used to be determined by experience, ranging from $45,052.80 at Step 1 to $47,361.60 at Step 3. Now, starting salaries all begin at the high end to remain competitive, Clark said. It creates equity issues, she told the board, particularly when "you have a rookie cop that's at (level) 3 and a 4-year deputy at Steps 1 and 2." The Sheriff's Office is having problems with retention, and hiring replacements is costly, she said, estimating it takes about $40,000 just to recruit, hire and train a deputy. The sheriff had offered to use RICO funds, which come from assets seized in racketeering investigations, to cover the $44,869 in step increases from Nov. 27 through June 30, 2012. Also on the table was more than $77,000 in RICO money to keep pace in the following year. Before casting a vote to deny the sheriff's request, Supervisor Bryan Martyn said he was concerned about RICO not being a guaranteed funding source. "It's a great gesture, but not the best business practice of this board to budget based on funds that don't potentially exist," Martyn said. Supervisor David Snider said the board would take a look at equity pay when it can do so for all county employees. The county implemented a freeze on cost-of-living adjustments and longevity pay in 2008 that is still in place. |