WALKER CO., Ala.(WBRC) – The Walker County Commission is restructuring the sheriff’s office to give deputies raises in the near future.

Sheriff Nick Smith said the commission allocated 85 positions for his office in the 2025 budget year. There are currently people filling 104 positions, some of them part-time.

While the commission isn’t laying people off, he said those part-time positions won’t be filled after people quit or resign.

In addition to the 85 sheriff’s office employees, courthouse security is booked for 5 positions and the Board of Education is paying for 9 school resource officers, so Sheriff Smith says they will only lose 5 positions instead of 19.

“My office and the staff here agree on doing whatever it takes to make sure our lawmakers are paid better to do their jobs because one of the struggles I’ve had for seven years has been paying lawmakers $13.50 an hour in a market where everyone around you is paying more than $20 an hour,” he explained. .

In addition to losing some part-time positions, the sheriff says they are consolidating the Narcotics Division and Investigations Division into one unit instead of two, which is how they are currently set up.

Get news alerts Apple App Store And Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter Here.

Copyright 2024 WBRC. All rights reserved.