JONESBORO, Ark. — The Craighead County Quorum Court on Monday night approved a longevity pay program for certified sheriff’s office deputies and increased the daily fees for housing adult and juvenile inmates.
The measures approved Oct. 26 establish salary increases tied to deputies’ years of service and raise detention rates by $10 per day for adults and $25 per day for juveniles.
Deputy Pay Program
Under the new program, certified law enforcement officers employed by the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office will bank $500 for each year of service during their first 20 years. Those amounts will be added to annual salaries at five-year service milestones, at the sheriff’s discretion.
The ordinance lists the following annual salary additions:
- Five years: $2,500.
- Ten years: $5,000.
- Fifteen years: $7,500.
- Twenty years: $10,000.
The program replaces a previous policy providing $1,500 in additional pay for deputies first class. An employee who leaves and is later rehired would restart the service period used to calculate longevity pay.
The ordinance identifies officer retention and protecting the county’s investment in training as reasons for the change. Sheriff Marty Boyd also emphasized retention when discussing the proposal with the joint Public Service and Finance committees Oct. 12, according to committee minutes.
The pay ordinance includes an emergency clause making it effective upon passage and approval.
Higher Jail Housing Rates
The daily rate for housing adult inmates from within Craighead County will increase from $55 to $65 beginning Jan. 1, 2027.
For adult inmates from outside the county, the daily rate will increase from $60 to $70, effective immediately for cities without a current monthly jail contract.
The adult housing ordinance says most cities have jail contracts with the county and that the cost of providing inmates’ basic needs has grown significantly. Adult housing fees had not increased since 2021, according to the ordinance. It also calls for an annual review of jail fees.
The juvenile detention rate will increase from $100 to $125 per day, effective immediately. That ordinance says juvenile housing fees had not increased since 2023 and were no longer adequate to cover housing costs.
The Public Services Committee recommended making the juvenile increase and the applicable adult rate increase for cities without contracts effective immediately, rather than waiting until January, according to its Oct. 12 minutes.
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