Wise move: Raises for Sheriff's Office and EMS are a smart investment

The Wayne County Board of Commissioners has approved job reclassification plans for both the Sheriff's Office and the Office of Emergency Services, the latter receiving approval just this week. Members of both departments should see pay raises as a result.

It is a wise move.

Wayne has been losing trained personnel to other counties whose pay is better. That is lost investment, since most of them received their training here in Wayne only to take their new capabilities elsewhere.

It just doesn't make financial sense to train a worker only to see him or her leave for better pay once they become skilled at their job -- and this group of county commissioners has prided itself on its business acumen.

It is good to see that the commissioners can do more than just cut budgets, they can also increase them when the smart money says to. And they started with two of the largest and most important departments, another wise decision.

Other county employees should expect to see similar pay reclassifications in the next couple of years.

Published in Editorials on January 22, 2016 11:39 AM