Glenn Jacobs is offering a big raise for deputies, but Tom Spangler wants a lot more: 30%

Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler made his case directly to Knox County Commissioners on May 15 for a massive pay hike - 30% - for all patrol and jail officers except the top commanders.

Spangler is at an impasse with County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, who is proposing an 8% increase that would not require a tax increase. Spangler acknowledged his proposal would require a property tax increase.

Jacobs' administration proposes the budget that requires County Commission approval, and he's been steadfast that he will not raise taxes. He unveiled his budget proposal May 8, and the County Commission votes on it in June.

The county commissioned an independent analysis that says Spangler's proposed raises would cost taxpayers about $60 million over the next 20 years in increased pension costs, and concludes a 30% raise would require a property tax increase if all other spending remained the same.

This year alone, Spangler's proposal would cost taxpayers $13.5 million more than Jacobs' – about $3 million of that going toward pensions.

Starting pay for KCSO jail staff is now $18.97 an hour, and $21.54 for patrol officers. Compared to the rest of the state, Knox County ranks 12th in pay for jail staff and 19th for patrol officers, according to a report by the University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service. Both are above the state average of $16.30 and $18.84 an hour for jail and patrol officers, respectively.

Jacobs' and Spangler's proposals would give all 1,060 sheriff's office employees a raise of at least 3% because that's being offered for all county employees. The dispute centers on how much higher it would go for patrol and jail officers covered by both proposals.

Among all KCSO staff, 857 employees are jail and patrol officers ranked captain or below. That would mean about 81% of KCSO employees would receive the largest raise.

What is Sheriff Tom Spangler asking for?

Spangler is asking for a 30% increase for Knox County Sheriff's Office patrol and jail officers ranked captain or below, a 10% raise for chiefs and a 5% raise for civilian employees.

"This is not about me," Spangler told commissioners. "This is about these men and women ... those that are out there on the street, those that are working inside our three facilities."

The sheriff said the pay increase would make Knox County law enforcement salaries comparable to surrounding counties and would help with recruiting and retention, which he said are the department’s “biggest issues.”

Spangler told commissioners the department is short-staffed by 86 in jail officers and about 30 in law enforcement. Jacobs said he needs the sheriff's office to eliminate 58 of those positions – 50 from the jail staff and eight from patrol – to accommodate his proposed 8% raise.

Spangler offered a compromise: he'd eliminate the 58 positions, but only for his proposed 30% raise. He said he wouldn't budge on staffing otherwise.

The sheriff's office would not have to lay off employees under either scenario; any positions that could be cut are unfilled right now.

County finance director Chris Caldwell told Knox News that Spangler's proposal would require a tax hike of 7 cents per $100 of assessed property value. Knox County levies property tax on 25% of a home's appraised value, meaning Spangler's proposal would cost the owner of a $425,000 home, the median listing for homes in Knox County this year, an additional $74.38 a year.

The median appraised value for a home in Knox County is $221,000, according to the Knox County Property Assessors. The increase for the owner of a $221,000 home would be $38.68 a year.

In 2021, Spangler asked for an 8% raise for captains or below, and ended up getting a 5% increase that did not require a tax increase.

What did commissioners say?

The consensus among the 11 commissioners was that 30% is a big hike, but none committed to a firm figure.

Commissioner Kyle Ward, who represents the 4th District, said 30% is too large. He floated the idea of compromise in the neighborhood of 10% to 15%, adding that the county could seek savings by closing library buildings because so many materials are available online.

Commissioner Kim Frazier, who represents the the entire county as an at-large member, said her research shows an 8% raise would be the highest increase offered in the past 20 years. In 2020 and again last year, the county gave sheriff's office staff 6% raises.

Four of the commissioners – Frazier, Terry Hill, Gina Oster and Ward – said they were worried about the cost of a lawsuit if Spangler tried to force the issue in court as he's allowed to do under state law.

County Law Director David Buuck told commissioners a lawsuit could cost between $500,000 and $1 million in addition to whatever raises a judge might order.

What did Jacobs propose?

During his May 8 State of the County address, Jacobs proposed an 8% increase, and pointed out his boost would mean sheriff's office staff have gotten a 24% pay increase over the past five years.

All other positions in the sheriff's office – chiefs and civilian – would receive a 3% raise.

Where do things stand now?

Spangler has rejected the mayor's proposal.

No matter what, sheriff's officers would get a 3% raise if the budget were adopted because that's what all county employees are set to receive under Jacobs' budget. But Jacobs is willing to tack on the additional 5% if Spangler eliminates the 58 open positions.

Spangler said if his 30% request isn't met, he will file a lawsuit against the county as a “last resort.” State law allows Spangler to sue in criminal court to challenge pay rate. If he sues, a judge will decide whether to order a raise, and if so, how much.

Knox County will vote on adopting the budget in June.

Silas Sloan is the growth and development reporter. Email silas.sloan@knoxnews.com. Twitter @silasloan. Instagram @knox.growth.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County offers a raise for deputies, but sheriff wants a lot more