Question: Can you provide updated comparator information for the Sheriff’s Department employee pay? Can you provide the fiscal impact of various alternatives to address detention center vacancies? (Operating Budget Page 14.82) (Mayor Justin Wilson)
Response:
In response to the FY 2024 request from the Alexandria Sheriff’s Association, the City's Department of Human Resources compensation analysts in November 2023 completed a benchmarking study of Sheriff’s Deputies. The City’s analysis found that Alexandria Sheriff’s Deputies are compensated competitively when compared to the others in the City’s approved primary labor market (Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, Montgomery, and Prince George's counties.) Each job classification midpoint is used to determine whether a classification salary range is below, within or above the market, with +/-5% considered within the market. Most Sheriff's Deputies are 1-3% below the market midpoint and, therefore, within the market.
The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office in FY 2024 proposed several compensation programs. Because the City’s benchmarking analysis determined that most deputies are compensated at market rate, the City did not utilize any of the $200,000 set aside in the FY 2024 budget for targeted, market-based compensation adjustments. Separately, ASO proposed restructuring its sworn pay scale at an estimated ongoing cost of $614,516.
However, in response to the Sheriff’s recently expressed concerns about the retention and recruitment of Detention Center employees, the City Manager authorized the Sheriff’s Office to immediately begin offering a $10,000 hiring bonus for experienced, qualified candidates to work in the detention center. This pilot program will run for six months or until the Sheriff’s Office has hired five certified jail deputies, whichever comes first.
The Manager’s proposed employee compensation reviews of city employees will allow for consideration of additional targeted retention and recruitment efforts for employees in areas of the city government with high vacancy rates. One additional alternative to address Detention Center vacancies may be premium pay for sworn staff actively working in the Detention Center. Finally, the Manager also recently instructed City Staff to conduct a revised actuarial retirement analysis to determine the cost of aligning the City Supplemental Retirement Plan with the current Virginia Retirement System plan for deputy sheriffs. Staff expect the results of this study in summer 2024.
Sheriff's sworn positions were benchmarked last August. The data reflects current fiscal year (FY24) pay ranges for approved comparators and City of Alexandria.
Attachments:
Attachment 1- Benchmarking study