KEYSER, W.Va. — Mineral County officials were looking for answers Tuesday as to why the county’s Sheriff’s Department has burned through nearly three fourths of its annual overtime budget in six months’ time.
Sheriff Forest “Buddy” Ellifritz and Captain Roy “J.J.” Wingler appeared before the Mineral County Commission on Tuesday in an attempt to explain the overtime problem and offer solutions.
The fiscal year for the Sheriff’s Office runs from July 1 to June 30 annually. County officials had set the overtime budget at $175,000 for the time period. However, the department has already burned through $128,000 in just six months. At that rate the Sheriff’s Office could spend over a quarter-million dollars this year in overtime.
“We wanted to talk to you today because you have gone through 73% of your budget and we are not quite halfway through the (fiscal) year,” said Jerry Whisner, commission president.
“I advised you that was a concern of mine when (the commission) set my budget because it was cut in half,” said Ellifritz. “Now that I am two men short, when I have one man on vacation and one man in training, someone has to work.”
The department currently has 14 active deputies, according to county administrator Luke McKenzie. The county tries to keep 16 deputies on staff. Two new hires have been enrolled in the training program.
“I think with all this overtime we’re paying you’d have crime down to about nothing,” said Whisner.
Basic overtime pay is time and a half, with it increasing to double time and a half on holidays.
Ellifritz explained the challenges facing his department. He said the Sheriff’s Office takes over 80% of the 911 calls.
In addition, Ellifritz said deputies are often sent for ongoing training certifications for firearms and Tasers as well as being called out as backup on dangerous situations or for large annual events held in the area.
Wingler said the average overtime salary for a deputy is currently $32.30 per hour. “Unfortunately, for everybody, for the last three to five years we’ve been short more than we’ve been staffed.”
In comparison to Mineral’s $175,000 budget for overtime, Whisner said Hampshire County’s overtime is set at $50,000 and Upshur County is $45,000 annually.
“Other counties have an overtime budget that is a fraction of ours and we don’t know how they do it,” Whisner said. “What I’m asking you is how do we do it?”
Ellifritz said comparing Mineral County to other counties is difficult because each jurisdiction has different populations, crime rates and call volumes.
“We’re asked the question in federal court, ‘why do we have so much of a drug problem in Mineral County,’” said Ellifritz. “At that time 90% of the drug cases going through the federal court in Elkins were from Mineral County.”
“I don’t really want to work overtime,” said Wingler. “I’ve been here for 23 years and I’d rather not do it. I don’t know of anyone who wants to work 80-hour weeks. Unfortunately that’s the position we’re in.”
“If I don’t have to keep calling an officer out and keep him away from his family it makes for a happier officer and a happier family,” said Ellifritz. “They’re tired. It burns them out.”
Wingler said a new hire in the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office makes $42,080 a year. He said losing deputies, particularly to other law enforcement agencies that pay more, is a major problem for the department.
He said Grant County deputies make $51,400, Hampshire County $53,000, Moorefield Police Department $48,500, West Virginia State Police $58,500, while Potomac Highland Regional Jail corrections officers make between $45,000 annually and $50,000 depending on experience.
He said Maryland law enforcement agencies also pay more than Mineral County.
“We can’t offer what they’re getting,” said Wingler.
“I think one of the most important things is retaining the people that we have,” said Wingler. “I think pay (increases), college reimbursement … that benefits us. Letting (deputies) use their cars like Allegany County and Cumberland (Maryland) are doing, it’s a benefit we can look at.
“It is very expensive to lose a guy. It’s cheaper to keep the people you have then to hire new people.”
“It’s also hard to hire people because of what’s going on in society today,” said Ellifritz. “Some we hire can’t pass the test or the background check. Even if you told me today I could hire 10 people, I’m looking at two years to get them in and get them trained and out on the road.”
“I don’t think we would be willing to add to your roster but we may be willing to raise your salaries,” said Whisner. “If taking some of the overtime budget and using it to give deputies a pay raise across the board while keeping overtime at a minimum, would that help the situation?”
Ellifritz said an increase in salary may help attract or keep people but it won’t necessarily have a large impact on overtime since it increases overtime pay as well. “You’ve increased the salaries but you also have increased the overtime pay,” he said.
“You guys don’t like paying the overtime but it’s going to cost us either way,” said Wingler. “I think salaries are going to have to come up, but it is not going to eliminate all the overtime. Our problem is a manpower issue and retaining our people.”