Nash sheriff says deputies are underpaid

Stone said his deputies make about 20 percent less than law enforcement officers in neighboring Rocky Mount, Wilson County and Pitt County.

"Those numbers are significant, and it’s significant to the officers working on the road," said Maj. Allen Wilson, of the Nash County Sheriff's Office. "What we’re trying to do is bring those numbers back in line closer to what the other agencies are making."

County commissioners are meeting this week as part of the process to adopt a budget for the new fiscal year by the end of June. The sheriff's office wants $14.5 million in the budget, while the proposed county budget commissioners are reviewing allocates less than $13.8 million to the sheriff's office.

To have qualified deputies, Stone said, he needs to raise salaries and offer more training.

"What we’re trying to do in today’s environment [is get] the most qualified people we can and also making sure that we have stable minds out there," he said.

"[Without raises,] you’re either not going to get them, or if you do get them and they get a chance to make more money somewhere else, then, of course, they’re going to do that," Wilson said.

In a Facebook post, Robbie Davis, chairman of the Board of Commissioners, said the board wants to hold the line on the tax rate for residents, which may mean that not everyone will get what they asked for in the budget.