The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

ADAIR COUNTY -- Starting in July, deputies of the Adair County Sheriff’s Office will each be eligible for a $1,200 pay raise.

This pay raise is in addition to pay raises that the deputies have received every year since 2009.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office announced that it will be receiving about $17,350 from the Deputy Sheriff’s Salary Supplementation Fund (DSSSF). 

The DSSF is funded by a $10 service charged added to the delivery of paperwork by Sheriff Office’s throughout the state.

 Although fees have been collected, no money was distributed for 3 years due to a lawsuit filed by St. Louis and St. Charles counties.  The lawsuit was settled in 2011.  In January 2012 the first of these funds were released.  After the first round of money was distributed, the Adair County Sheriff’s Office, along with others, protested the selection process that decided which agencies get funding.

According to the press release from the Adair County Sheriff’s Office, “funds were not fairly distributed to all Sheriff’s Offices as the law intended.”

Missouri Sheriff’s Methamphetamine Relief Task Force Board (MoSMART), Missouri Sheriff’s Association, Missouri Deputy  Sheriff’s Association, Missouri Department of Public Safety, legislative delegates and concerned citizens have worked to improve the distribution process and criteria for the funds.

These raises will help establish a statewide starting salary base of $28,000 for deputies in Missouri.