DeKalb Pay Increases Raise Eyebrows

Five staffers in DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis' office and three staffers for two county commissioners received pay increases despite a county policy stating that there would be no merit raises due to this year's tight budget.

Commissioners Connie Stokes and Sharon Barnes Sutton confirmed that they gave their staff "salary adjustments."

The CEO's office and county commissioners each have their own budgets independent of the general fund and have the right to allocate their monies as they see fit. But some regular employees believe the increases are ill-timed.

"Morale is bad already because of pay," DeKalb Fraternal Order of Police President Jeff Wiggs told Channel 2 Action News reporter Richard Elliot. "When they continue to do this type of stuff, they're just killing morale even more."

DeKalb is mired in a deep budget crisis brought on by a dwindling property tax digest. The county slashed $50 million from its budget. It also took away holiday pay from employees and laid off hundreds of workers, though it hired many back.

Some employees think elected officials giving out pay increases sends the wrong signal.

"It's very sad that they would make that decision," said Wiggs.

Among those receiving a pay increase is recently resigned Communications Director Sheila Edwards. According to documents obtained by Channel 2, Edwards received a $12,792 raise to $137,940. Ellis' spokesman Burke Brennan defended that pay increase.

"Her salary was far and away below that of her contemporaries and colleagues," said Brennan. "And she was basically doing the same work. The CEO felt that based on her performance at the time and based on her position that she should be paid commensurate with others in her classification."

Stokes defended giving two staff members pay increases She said she decided to grant them once she heard other staffers were getting raises.

"I said I think the the policy this year is that there won't be any raises," said Stokes. "Then we found out there are increases."

"I have the money in the budget," commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton told Elliot after confirming she gave one staffer an increase. "It was not allocated properly so I made an adjustment."

Commissioner Lee May did not give his one staffer an increase but declined to outright criticize his fellow commissioners. However, he did admit that the raises left those commissioners open to criticism.

"We're in a tough time," said May. "We really can't afford to make some decisions. I would love to give my staff raises."

Channel 2 learned 956 other DeKalb employees got pay raises as well, but most of those were not merit raises. Brennan said many of them are from job promotions or the mandatory pay increase after a new employee's six-month probationary period.