Clay County Boosts Starting Pay for Deputies to $23.08 and Detention Officers to $20.89 After Staffing Crisis

Clay County Sheriff's Office

Press Release

During the fiscal year 25-26 the starting salary for a beginning Clay County Deputy was $19.10 per hour. Early in that fiscal year the starting salary for a Clay County Detention Officer was $17.60 per hour. Over the past few years, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office has been able to stay moderately staffed with Sworn Deputies albeit with a good bit of turnover from time to time. The Detention Center, however, has been another story. It has been a struggle to keep enough staffing to safely operate in compliance with state mandates.

By the middle of the 25-26 fiscal year, staffing levels in Detention became critically low to the point where housing inmates elsewhere were being considered. Staffing levels dropped to nearly 50%. When notified of this, our Clay County Commissioners and County Manager swiftly moved to implement significant monthly stipends to all Detention employees until permanent hourly wages could be studied and increased. A pay study had been ongoing for all County employees and was expected to be implemented at the beginning of the 26-27 fiscal year.

Although the emergency stipend allowed the Detention Center to stay open for a few months longer, its inmate population eventually had to be moved to Cherokee County. The Commissioners and County Manager again acted quickly and implemented significant permanent raises for all Detention Officers rather than waiting until the start of the 26-27 fiscal year. The starting hourly pay for newly hired Detention Officers was raised from $17.10 per hour to $20.89 per hour. Staffing levels in Detention immediately began to rise, and all Clay County inmates were soon brought back to Clay County.

Beginning 07/01/26, the Clay County Commissioners approved the pay increases recommended by the County Manager. These increases were implemented for all Clay County employees. The starting salary for a beginning Clay County Deputy was specifically raised from $19.10 per hour to $23.08 per hour. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is now highly competitive with surrounding areas in the recruitment and retention of qualified Deputies and Detention Officers. Clay County is fortunate to have a County Government that is very reactive to the needs of the community and their employees alike.