WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department recently settled union contracts with its employees.
The agreement means a few modifications to contracts the department has for patrol services in Centreville, Burr Oak and Fabius Township.
Sheriff Mark Lillywhite told commissioners last week the three-year contracts, which started this calendar year, will reflect an annual increase in rates for coverage.
The agreement with Centreville will cost the village $166,000 this year, an increase of about $14,000 from the 2021 rate, Lillywhite said. It will pay about $175,000 in 2023 and $183,000 in the final year of the contract. Centreville relies on two shifts of patrol.
Rates for coverage in Burr Oak and Fabius Township are $83,000 in 2022, $87,000 next year and rise to nearly $92,000 in 2024. Both entities have one shift of patrol.
The increases are attributed to annual raises for deputies. In all three contracts, the deputy’s rate is $40 per hour this year, $42 an hour in 2023 and $44 an hour in the final year of the contract.
