08/17/12 On Monday, Marshall County Council members denied the request of Sheriff Tom Chamberlin to amend the salary ordinance and change back from a Chief Deputy to a captain for his department.
The current chief deputy, Ron Babcock was hired in May 2011 and will be retiring from the department on September 14.
The sheriff told council members the hourly rate was the same between a chief deputy and the captain’s position. The difference is that the captain’s position is a merit position while the chief deputy is a Public Employees Retirement Fund.
Council member Ward Byers was not in favor of the proposal, saying, “I am not in favor of changing the salary ordinance mid-year, this close to budget time. I don’t see the point in changing it — just leave it like it is until 2013.”
Not allowing the salary ordinance amendment would leave the Sheriff’s Department shorthanded for the position from September until the first of 2013.
Byers said, “I felt we had someone who could do it (Captian) from within and apparently you do now too.” He said that he is not against having a captain versus a chief deputy, but his main concern was changing the salary ordinance midway through the year.
Council president Matt Hassel talked about different department having chief deputies verses a captain and how several favor the chief deputy.
Councilman Rex Gilliland, a former Captain for the Sheriff’s Department said, “It you have a Sheriff and Chief Deputy and with an election the Sheriff could be out and you would lose the top two in the department.” He said that would be very detrimental to a department.
Council member Ralph Booker motion to allow Chamberlin to hire a captain, saying, “I understand the concern but I don’t think there is a precedent changing the salary ordinance midyear.”
Booker’s motion was seconded by Rex Gilliland. The vote was 4 to 3 with Matt Hassel, Ralph Booker, Rex Gilliland, and Don Morrison voted for the proposal while Judith Stone, Ward Byers, and John Benedict voted against the proposal.
Because this proposal would require an amendment to the salary ordinance the vote needed to be 5-2 so the motion did not pass.
Hassle dismissed the Sheriff by saying, “All righty then” and Chamberlin’s response was “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do out there.”
The council did approve the Sheriff’s request to fill the vacancy of a full time dispatcher who has moved to part-time with another full-time dispatcher for the department.
Chamberlin retracted his request for a vehicle purchase to get a new vehicle for the new K-9 officer until the budget hearings for a purchase in 2013.
