Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department commanders get big raises

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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From Jon Ostendorff of the Asheville Citizen-Times:

Top commanders at the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office got raises of nearly $13,000 this year while increases were eliminated for other county workers in the wake of the down economy.

Sheriff Van Duncan said he asked for the increases of 19 percent for the department’s two majors and chief deputy because they took on new duties after he cut other administration jobs.

The officers had been in the wrong pay grade, and the county’s compensation rules required the increase, Duncan said.

The increases make the majors the third-highest paid in North Carolina, according to a comparison of seven counties that he provided. The department’s chief is paid the same as the majors — $92,148 annually — putting him at a lower rate than other counties.

The pay increases stand out because local government officials have largely held the line on raises during the recession, though some top staffers got big increases with promotions, a Citizen-Times analysis has found.

The newspaper examined pay data from 2008 to this year for all Asheville and Buncombe County government agencies and departments.

Pay for public employees will be part of the debate as city and county governments and Buncombe’s school systems deal with budget deficits and make plans for fiscal years that begin July 1.