Commission Sends Letter Opposing SB 53

Crawford County commissioners sent a letter to Gov. Mike Parson in June stating their opposition to  SB 53, which would give a significant raise to sheriffs across the state.

If signed into law, any sheriff in a first and second class county would receive an annual salary equal to 80% computed by a salary schedule.

Sheriffs in third and fourth class counties will receive an annual salary based off a percentage of the salary of associate judges.

Under current law, the salary schedule for a sheriff is set as a base schedule and a salary commission may increase the compensation up to $6,000 greater than the schedule.

SB 53 repeals these provisions.

The bill also allows a sheriff to collect a $50 charge for service of any summons, writ or order for an eviction proceeding.

All charges must be collected by the sheriff prior to the service being rendered and paid to the county treasurer.

The funds must be held in an account established by the treasurer and can expended at the discretion of the sheriff for the furtherance of the sheriff’s duties.

These changes are just two parts of a massive public safety bill.

Crawford County commissioners joined other counties in opposing the provisions relating to the salary.

“This could be devastating to the budget,” said Presiding Commissioner Leo Sanders. “It’s not that our sheriff doesn’t earn it. We have a good sheriff. It doesn’t have to do with that. It’s a budgetary thing.”

Sanders said he hasn’t talked yet with Sheriff Darin Layman about the issue.

Layman did not respond to an Independent News request for comment.

Five years ago, Sanders made a plea to area representatives to shift rising payments for prosecuting attorneys onto the state.

The state kept mandating increasing salaries for those positions.

Former prosecuting attorney Kent Howald agreed with the commission, saying those salaries were impacting how much staff he could afford.

Sanders sees the push for state-mandated sheriff increases in a similar way.

“What else is coming?” he said.

Sanders also is frustrated that nobody from the state has approached them to discuss why it’s needed.

“Nobody asked what it would do for the counties,” he said.

The presiding commissioner is unsure what the Crawford County sheriff’s salary would be, but said it would be “pretty significant.”

“For Class 3 counties, this can throw a financial hardship into the budget,” he said.

Sanders is hopeful that Parson, who has said that counties should be able to set their own policies, will take that approach with the salary provisions.

He has reached out to Sen. Justin Brown (R-Rolla) to no response, but has not called Rep. Jason Chipman (R-Steelville).

None of the commissioners he has spoken from other counties has heard from anyone at Jefferson City.

“I don’t get that,” he said.