WALLACE — Administrators from the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office recently met with county commissioners to propose several changes to the department’s pay structure. 

Undersheriff Lance Stutzke and Patrol Capt. Seth Green presented a series of recommendations, including moving patrol and detention captains, as well as the 911 director, back to an hourly wage; adding lieutenant and corporal ranks to the jail pay scale; introducing corporal and detective positions to the patrol pay scale; and transitioning the department’s civilian staff to the courthouse pay matrix. 

According to Stutzke, the proposals address departmental needs and respond to feedback from a recent employee climate survey completed by patrol staff. 

Stutzke said that under the previous SCSO administration, administrative staff were shifted from hourly to salaried positions, though the reasoning behind that decision remains unclear. Historically, all positions below sheriff and undersheriff were paid hourly. 

Commissioner Jeff Zimmerman expressed concern about reversing that structure. 

“I think, as a business sense, you want to keep your admin at a salary because that’s a high-paying job, and then if you have to pay overtime on that, that’s a big expense to a company,” Zimmerman said. 

Stutzke countered by questioning whether that approach is fair to employees, especially when it results in tenured officers earning more at an hourly rate than their salaried superiors. 

“It’s not working for what we’re doing,” Stutzke said. “But I think hourly is more fair to the employee.” 

The proposed changes would cost the county nearly $26,000 but aim to address key concerns and improve morale within the department. 

Inconsistencies in the current pay matrix have made it difficult to fully staff patrol, jail and civilian positions. The largest proposed wage increase, just under $11,000 (not including benefits), would go to civilian staff, including jail cooks, maintenance workers and three clerks. These roles would be moved to the courthouse pay matrix, which offers higher wages for similar positions. 

“We planned to fund these changes internally through savings at the office, which are typically wage savings from having open, unfilled positions, as well as some other restructuring of the budget,” Stutzke said following the meeting. 

This approach mirrors a strategy used earlier this year, when Sheriff Holly Lindsey received approval to use funds from unfilled jail positions to cover overtime costs for patrol deputies temporarily assigned to the jail. 

“We are running into a crisis as far as the jail and patrol to where we’re just not getting employees anymore,” Green said. “So we have to figure out how to fix it and we’re going to put our best foot forward.” 

After hearing the proposals, the commissioners chose to table the discussion. A follow-up meeting has been scheduled for Thursday.