County to try to find funds for pay raises

At the suggestion of Emma Cammick, chairwoman of the Oconee County Council budget committee, the county will look for funds for pay raises for county workers earning less than $45 thousand a year. But Scott Moulder, county administrator, warned that with the budgetary constraints in place, the money is not going to be easy to find. After hearing a plea last night from Sheriff Mike Crenshaw, Cammick said she was appalled that the starting salary for county deputies is less than $30 thousand. Crenshaw said he doesn’t care if he personally gets a raise, but he’s worried for morale and the potential for top quality officers to quit for higher paying jobs elsewhere. The first-term sheriff said he was disappointed that one of his good officers quit for a better paying job with a manufacturing plant. Chairman Wayne McCall said he would like for the county to re-allocate money spent on tourism to law enforcement. McCall questioned what good are efforts to attract tourists if they are robbed. Later, however, Councilman Paul Cain took issue with McCall’s comments about Oconee becoming an increasingly dangerous place. Cain said he favors raises for county employees, but he also believes in tourism and considers the county still a safe place.