CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — After lengthy negotiations, Nueces County Commissioners approved a collective bargaining agreement on Wednesday that will offer better pay to employees with the Nueces County Sheriff's Office.
The changes will impact close to 200 employees with the Sheriff's Office.
With the support of the Nueces County Sheriff's Officers Association, the agreement states that annual salaries will be increased at a minimum of 3% for employees such as Deputy Sheriff I, Deputy Sheriff II, Sheriff's Lieutenant, Correction Officer and Constables.
Other positions like Sheriff's Captain, Sheriff's Assistant Chief Deputy and Chief Deputy Constable will see a 1.5% annual salary increase.
Arnoldo Carpentier with the Nueces County Sheriff's Officers Association said this is a step in the right direction, but there's more work to be done.
"The people that work with us enjoy working where they’re working but we would all like to be paid a little bit more," Carpentier said.
According to the Nueces County Sheriff's Officers Association, Sheriff's Office employees in other counties earn more than $50,000 annually. Nueces County starts its Deputy Sheriff's at $41,880.20. Carpentier reiterated that Nueces County is paying their employees well below the minimum compared to surrounding counties.
"The county has been doing everything they can to help us," Carpentier said. "What we like to do is we like to bargain in good faith. In the past, we've received four year collective bargaining agreements, but we didn't get that this year and that's okay."
Contrary to previous collective bargaining agreements, the county agreed this particular negotiation will be for two years from 2024-2026.
For years, Nueces County has experienced several financial woes whether it's from monetary deficits, property taxes or valuation changes from industry oil refineries.
However, Sheriff JC Hooper said offering higher pay through this agreement will allow his team to be on top of their game.
He added that although pay is not the most important factor of serving as law enforcement, receiving the pay you deserve can help encourage more dedication and longevity with the Sheriff's Office.
“Every chief administrator, his primary focus is safety and security. Whether it’s in the jail or safety and security out on the streets, so we have to be competitive. We have to be able to hire the best people and we have to be able to retain those people," Hooper said.
Once the contract is up for another review within two years, the Nueces County Sheriff's Officers Association said they've requested an official market study to show comparative salaries of other agencies.
The association believed the study will further emphasize the need to provide more substantial compensation for those who serve the community.
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