Governor Signs Sheriff Pay Plan

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi sheriffs will get their first pay raise in several years, starting July 1.

Gov. Phil Bryant on Friday signed House Bill 1409, which collapses seven population-based pay brackets into five.

Sheriffs in counties with fewer than 15,000 people will make $75,000 a year, while those in counties ranging from 15,000 to 34,000 people will make $80,000. In counties with 34,000 to 45,000 residents, sheriffs will make $85,000, while those in counties with 45,000 to 100,000 people will make $90,000. In counties with more than 100,000 people, sheriffs will make $99,000.

The raises will be funded by process-serving fees for a variety of legal documents, such as warrants in criminal cases.

The bill (http://bit.ly/1hfVym7 ) passed the House 120-1 on Feb. 11 and the Senate 48-3 on March 11.