September 19, 2022 at 11:38 a.m.
Sheriff alerts committee to jail staffing concerns
Hartman: 'There's no end in sight'
Sheriff alerts committee to jail staffing concerns
By Trevor Greene-
The jail is the biggest concern at the moment, according to Hartman.
At present, there are nine vacancies for correctional officers in the jail, which is nearly half of its correctional officer capacity of 20, the sheriff said.
"We're right on the edge of crisis, I think," Hartman said. "I have another retirement coming up. I have two other ladies at retirement age who haven't put in a retirement notice, but we're certainly watching that closely."
There is one vacancy in the dispatch center as well, he added.
"Our (communications) staff is as good as we've ever had it in my career," Hartman said. "All of the people are wise, but I'm nervous if some were to leave for greener pastures ... I don't believe I could backfill for them under your guys' wage scale."
Hartman came to the committee meeting to inform members of his concerns ahead of the annual budget process.
"I'm here to ask for some tools for which to help this," he said. "I don't know what those tools are, and I'm not specifically asking for anything (at this time)."
Hartman also said he conducted research through online hiring websites to gain a sense of what other area agencies are offering.
One job offer that caught his eye, was for a correctional officer position at an Irma-based facility significantly higher than what Oneida County offers its deputy sheriffs. According to Hartman, it was advertising at a starting wage of about $31.
"And that's what we're competing with," he said.
Given that the correctional officer's job could be considered an entry-level position, Hartman said he does attempt to recruit students from area schools, "doing whatever we can."
And though some may consider the position entry-level, Hartman explained how prospective hires do need to complete a law enforcement academy, which the county pays for but is reimbursed by the state.
Committee chairman Steven Schreier suggested possibly implementing a sign-on bonus, but Hartman said he was hesitant.
"It's a double-edged sword on the bonus," he said, "Because you have people who are staying and are like, 'well, why is this new person getting paid more than me. I've been in the trenches, I've worked more overtime and now you're gonna give them $2,000 to start?'"
Committee member Russ Fisher believes there's two parts to the problem. One being a fight between the public and private sectors, the other being generational.
"The private sector is taking so much away from the public sector now, that's what we got to figure out," he said. "I think not only the wages, but the flexibility."
Fisher noted that many county employees left for more viable options, which committee member Mike Timmons characterized as a "domino effect."
As far as the generational issue, Fisher responded to comments made by Hartman when he noted a difference in tendencies between the older and younger.
"I think with COVID you had that perfect storm," he said. "I mean the ones that were contemplating retirement retired, and then you have the new generation coming up that is not quite yet working, and then you got that generation where they got pretty much everything gave to them their entire life ... and I think that's where we're at with pretty much anywhere with our employment issues. It's that gap."
Committee member Diana Harris said she believes the county "will need to get creative" to help mitigate the issue, not just review wages.
At one point, Schreier asked if there's any potential the county could "tap" a different area of the labor force, perhaps those who are retired. The suggestion was met with doubt, however, but Hartman noted a stay-at-home mom was hired to fill one of three part-time correctional officer positions.
On multiple occasions, Hartman said staffing issues for correctional officers isn't just local, it's statewide, as well.
Dane County's solution, he explained, was to outsource its inmates to Oneida County. The revenue gained for doing so is expected to be about $1 million, Hartman mentioned, but the decision to continue to do so may need to be reconsidered given the jail's staffing concerns.
"Dane County staffs their jail with deputies, so they're sworn deputies (who) make good money," he said. "Their top wages for their deputies are (between) $42 to $45 an hour, and they can't fill them either. And that weighed into the (Dane County) sheriff's decision to ship inmates out."
The scheduling for correctional officers is three on two off, and two on three off - a schedule the majority of officers voted for.
Currently, the starting pay for a corrections officer in Oneida County is about $22. For dispatchers it's just over $19.50.
While this was the first time Hartman alerted members of the committee to his staffing concerns, all agreed it is a problem that merits top priority.
"It's been a long stretch which looks like it's getting worse with no end in sight," Hartman said. "And at some point, something's gotta give."
Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].
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