Dorchester County moves to correct pay scales after sheriff flags 8 deputy vacancies; figures await state budget review
April 13, 2026 | Dorchester County, Maryland
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Dorchester County officials presented a countywide salary correction plan aimed at addressing long-standing compression in pay scales and to make county jobs more competitive with neighboring jurisdictions.
The presenter told the council the county is prioritizing a fix to the sheriff's office pay scale, saying the sheriff currently has eight deputy vacancies—"that's over 20% of the patrol force"—and that hiring a deputy can take roughly a year from academy through field training to full road duty. The plan includes looking at across-the-board step increases and a potential cost-of-living adjustment; the presenters factored a 3% increase into preliminary modeling.
For director-level positions and other county staff, the county used a revised survey methodology intended to produce more locally comparable results: a Mako peer-group survey restricted to Eastern Shore counties (excluding Worcester and Queen Anne) weighted at 70%, 10% from DLLR/private-sector comparators, and 20% from state positions with similar job descriptions. The presenter said the county will apply the same weighted approach to remaining employees outside the sheriff's office and director ranks.
Officials cautioned that final dollar amounts are pending a state-impact review. County staff (Karen and Keith, per transcript references) will meet with the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) to assess how the state budget's passage affects Dorchester County; the presenter said the county will wait for that Q&A before locking figures in the budget bill.
Other budget measures mentioned in the session included a $2,500-per-department fire allocation in the proposed budget, continued inclusion of elections equipment payments spread across FY27–FY29, and a temporary pause on further leasing commitments for equipment (radios, vehicles, computers) until lease terms and code considerations are clarified.
There was no formal adoption of salary figures in the session; the presenter asked the council for concurrence with the approach and said detailed numbers would be provided after the DLS meeting.
Next steps: staff will report back with DLS findings and finalized salary figures for council consideration before the budget is finalized.
The presenter told the council the county is prioritizing a fix to the sheriff's office pay scale, saying the sheriff currently has eight deputy vacancies—"that's over 20% of the patrol force"—and that hiring a deputy can take roughly a year from academy through field training to full road duty. The plan includes looking at across-the-board step increases and a potential cost-of-living adjustment; the presenters factored a 3% increase into preliminary modeling.
For director-level positions and other county staff, the county used a revised survey methodology intended to produce more locally comparable results: a Mako peer-group survey restricted to Eastern Shore counties (excluding Worcester and Queen Anne) weighted at 70%, 10% from DLLR/private-sector comparators, and 20% from state positions with similar job descriptions. The presenter said the county will apply the same weighted approach to remaining employees outside the sheriff's office and director ranks.
Officials cautioned that final dollar amounts are pending a state-impact review. County staff (Karen and Keith, per transcript references) will meet with the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) to assess how the state budget's passage affects Dorchester County; the presenter said the county will wait for that Q&A before locking figures in the budget bill.
Other budget measures mentioned in the session included a $2,500-per-department fire allocation in the proposed budget, continued inclusion of elections equipment payments spread across FY27–FY29, and a temporary pause on further leasing commitments for equipment (radios, vehicles, computers) until lease terms and code considerations are clarified.
There was no formal adoption of salary figures in the session; the presenter asked the council for concurrence with the approach and said detailed numbers would be provided after the DLS meeting.
Next steps: staff will report back with DLS findings and finalized salary figures for council consideration before the budget is finalized.
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