Salt Lake County leaders voted Thursday to bump county deputies' pay by 5.5 percent, moving those salaries more in line with competing police agencies but still falling short of the 11 percent increase requested by Sheriff Aaron Kennard.

Mayor Peter Corroon had denied Kennard's request entirely in his budget proposal, but the County Council voted unanimously to increase deputy pay by a two-step increase — 5.5 percent — and sergeant salaries by one step, or 2.75 percent.

That adjustment to the 12-step salary structure for sheriff's deputies is the first in 12 years. Lagging salaries have cost the division good deputies who have left for bigger paychecks in neighboring cities, Kennard said.

"This is not an unreasonable request to bring some parity to my deputies. They've been long overdue," he said.

Although the council approved half of Kennard's initial 11 percent increase, he said he still plans to pursue more salary increases for his deputies. According to estimates from a consultant study, county deputies are paid an average of 11 to 13 percent lower than similar positions in neighboring cities.

"I appreciate the dialogue. I didn't get everything I wanted," Kennard said. "It basically puts my deputies close to the middle."

Thursday's decision to bump the salaries came after some heavy negotiations among council members, some of whom only wanted to increase deputy pay by 2.75 percent. Mark Crockett, who initiated that idea, said he didn't want to "steal the thunder" of cities who are working with the county to create a Unified Police District.

That entity, which could be created next year, is the reason Corroon denied the deputy pay increase. If the county bumped salaries too much and too quickly, Crockett said mayors of partner cities may back out of the police district because the county is "forcing their hand" — that is, salaries would be increased out of the purview of departments that join.

"My read on this is these mayors are gradually coming to understand that the pay needs to be increased. But if we jump in all at once it scares them off before they're entirely committed," Crockett said.

Councilman Jim Bradley, however, rejected the argument that higher pay could jeopardize the police district, saying it was "not a deal killer." Instead, Bradley said the county has a responsibility to its deputies now to bring their pay in line with other agencies.

The police district is not a sure thing, Bradley added, and should not be the deciding factor in whether deputies see higher salaries next year.

"It's not fair to say to our deputies, 'We've got this grandiose idea and we're betting your salaries on it,' " Bradley said. "With a two-step structure increase we're still barely in the upper half. We're still playing catch up."

Kennard added that the police district will have to increase compensation at some point or else it will never muster any momentum. The new agency can't be "started off a dime," he said, if the county is really interested in recruiting good deputies.

The deputy and sergeant increases are in addition to a 2 percent cost of living increase and a 2.75 percent merit increase already approved by the council.

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