COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Branch County Board of Commissioners brought forward a request from Sheriff John Pollack during Thursday’s work session to use unexpended wages so that an applicant for a road deputy position can get academy training.
Formal action is scheduled to take place during next Tuesday’s meeting.
Pollack said in his request to Commissioners that they only got two applications to fill a deputy position which opened in the middle of January. Both of the applicants are working as corrections officers for the Sheriff’s Department.
One is putting himself through a training academy, the other has no academy training.
He said their training funds are currently at $9,000 and the cost to send someone to a training academy is $8,000. Pollack said if they use their training funds, they would have to freeze all training for road patrol for the rest of the year.
The next academy does not start until mid August. Unexpended wages that were budgeted in the departed deputy’s salary would be accessed from 15 pay periods from mid January to mid August to pay for the applicant’s training.
Pollack said in his letter to Commissioners he understood this is not how they should plan to pay to train employees but he felt, “until we become more attractive to applicants, we either have to come up with funds in this manner or we need to come up with a line item for the academies.”
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