Juvenile Court Director Calls for Detention Staff Raises

The Muskingum County Juvenile Court Director wants pay increases for Detention employees.

Robert Smith said the two percent raise in salary, plus two dollars an hour would simply close the pay gap between the employees in Muskingum County and the lowest paid detention staff in other areas.

“We think that our detention staff has traditionally underpaid,” said Smith. “We’ve done a little bit of research over the past year and compared their salaries to the salaries of their contemporaries and we feel they’re grossly underpaid. We realize that the commissioners work on a tight budget and have a lot of priorities but we’ve asked the commissioners to prioritize giving above cost of living increases to the detention staff. ”

Smith voiced his concerns about salaries to the Muskingum County Commissioners Monday, saying that while he understands there’s a lot to consider when it comes to the county budget, the detention center is truly in need as they continue to lose employees due to the low wages

“We’ve lost people to other correction facilities here in Muskingum County that pay more money. We’ve also lost people to Auto Zone, Subway, Tom’s Ice cream Bowl and money has always been a factor. ”

The Juvenile Court is also working to purchase two new vehicles to replace those in need of repairs that will cost more than their value.