LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday gave unanimous support to Sheriff Brian Martin’s proposal to offer hiring incentives to deputy sheriff candidates in order to help address a personnel shortage.

Martin proposes to implement a $5,000 bonus per person for up to 10 deputy candidates.

The board supported moving forward on the idea sooner rather than later; Martin had asked to institute the incentives beginning on July 1, but got the go-ahead to begin on April 1.

Staff emphasized that the funds will not come from the county’s stretched general fund but rather a special state allocation given to sheriff’s offices for special purposes.

Martin’s memo to the board for Tuesday’s meeting explained that the sheriff’s office has had recruitment and retention difficulties for years, noting that contributing factors include a less-competitive wage and benefits package, competition for qualified candidates by neighboring agencies and a decline in the interest for law enforcement amongst people entering the workforce.

Martin said that his agency has responsibility for law enforcement services in the unincorporated county where approximately 44,700 people live.

Citing a report on police officer ratios, Martin said for a law enforcement agency serving a population of 25,000 to 49,999 people, the average ratio of full time officers is 1.8 per 1,000 residents. For all populations of all sizes, the ratio is 2.5 per 1,000.

Based on those statistics, the average number of full-time officers for agencies serving a population the size of unincorporated Lake County’s is 80, based on Martin’s report.

Martin’s budget has 66 full-time deputy sheriff classification positions allocated, with 47 of those filled. It may soon be down to 46 because a longtime deputy now has a conditional job offer from a local police department, Martin said.

He said the board has worked collaboratively with his office to address its staffing challenges, including previously reclassifying five deputy sheriff positions to deputy sheriff/trainee positions, which he said has allowed him to add four deputies to the street while obtaining multi-year commitments from them in exchange for the opportunity to attend the academy.

“I am very grateful for this, and intend to continue that program. Despite these efforts, attracting qualified applicants continues to be a challenge,” Martin wrote in his report.

That led to him proposing a $5,000 hiring bonus for up to 10 candidates per fiscal year, through the end of 2019. He cited examples of other agencies that offer such incentives, including the cities of Eureka, Modesto and Santa Cruz, and the Napa County Sheriff’s Office.

Martin recommended using funds from the Rural Sheriff’s Budget Unit 2206 for the hiring bonuses. Those funds, he explained, are a result of AB 443 passed in 2001 and enacted in Government Code Section 30070.

“Pursuant to state law, Lake County is allocated $500,000 each year for our Rural Sheriff’s Budget. The funds are specifically earmarked to enhance law enforcement efforts and recruiting and retaining qualified Deputy Sheriff staffing will most certainly meet this goal,” he explained in his report.

Martin went over his written report with the board ahead of its discussion.

Supervisor Rob Brown said he totally supported the proposal, and appreciated Martin’s creativity.

Brown added that one of the biggest challenges for county workers is insurance. “Our employees are getting raped by the insurance companies.”

When Brown asked when Martin was proposing to start the incentives, he said on July 1, at the start of the next fiscal year.

Brown asked if the county could start sooner. “I’d start it today if you’d authorize that,” said Martin.

“Is there any reason that we can’t do that?” Brown asked, with staff and board members not able to offer any reasons.

Noting that there were only three and a half months left in the fiscal year, Brown said, “If we’re going to do it, I think we need to get it started right away.”

Supervisor Jeff Smith thanked Martin for the proposal and agreed that he also wanted it to start immediately.

County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson said a minor revision to the ordinance was necessary in order to update the date. She also wanted to make sure the funding was in the right place for the current fiscal year.

“This is absolutely not general fund money,” said Huchingson, explaining that she wanted to emphasize that point due to the recent community visioning forums about the community’s financial challenges.

She said the funds are part of a special state allocation that can’t be used directly for salaries but for uses like Martin suggested.

“It is a wonderful and creative solution,” Huchingson said, adding the county’s classification and retention committee also supported the proposal.

Brown suggested making the hiring incentives effective on April 1, which would give staff the time to update the resolution. Huchingson said that would give them plenty of time, with Martin adding that he didn’t believe he would have any deputy candidates ready for hire before that date.

Martin indicated during the discussion that if the incentives are successful, he wants to bring them back to the board for consideration of making them permanent.

The board voted 5-0 to approve the proposal by Martin, who then left to respond to a bomb threat at Twin Pine Casino in Middletown.

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