Mandeville Police Chief Tom Buell said that when the department handed out their raises and benefits packages to the new recruits earlier in the year the Sheriff’s Office quickly raised their own starting salaries.

The new Mandeville salaries included a $31,000 annual pay plus benefits. When the Sheriff’s Office raises came about, Buell said that elevated their starting pay to nearly $36,000.

“Our benefits still put us to within about $2,000 of what the Sheriff is, but it doesn’t put us over,” Buell said. “So we’re still competitive, but we’re not better than. We need to be at least at the same and I mean the same by at least where our benefits and our starting pay puts us in the competition.”

Buell could not be specific on the timetable of when the new raises might come about, only that they were necessary for the department to remain competitive.

He added theprocess of getting the raises may take some time because they need to run through the city budget.

---

Bookmark