KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said that to give Sheriff Tom Spangler a 30% pay increase for deputies, the county would need to raise property taxes by 14.5%.
"The sheriff and I are involved in a disagreement over KCSO pay for the upcoming fiscal year. I have proposed an 8% increase for patrol and corrections officers below that rank of captain," Jacobs said in a weekly update posted to social media. "That number would be the highest single-year pay increase in county history. The sheriff wants a 30% increase for those positions, 10% for captain and above, and 5% for his civilian employees."
During a county commission meeting, Spangler said that fulfilling his requested pay increase would take a 4.5% property tax increase — or an increase of around $0.07. Jacobs said that was incorrect in his weekly update.
"It’s almost triple that because the $0.07 number doesn’t include long-term pension costs," Jacobs said.
He said his office received a "pension figure" from managers of the county's retirement programs. He said to fund the pension obligations fully in Spangler's request, average homeowners would need to pay around $235 more each year in property taxes.
"The sheriff’s proposal causes another issue. The rest of Knox County employees are only receiving a 3% raise, except for teachers who are getting 4%," he said. "Our people work hard and, sometimes, in difficult, even dangerous circumstances."
He said it would cost Knox County around $120 million, or around a 40% property tax increase, to increase teacher pay to keep pace with the sheriff's requests. He said that totals to around $650 more in property taxes per homeowner.
"In the past few years, two public works employees have been seriously injured on the job. One was hit by a car while mowing and the other had his leg shattered while repairing a guardrail. Last year, a park employee was assaulted. Library staff contends with vagrancy, drug use on their premises, and the homeless. Convenience center operators are often yelled and cursed at, and they make less than $29,000 a year," said Jacobs. "It's not fair to give KCSO an absolutely massive pay increase and then turn around and say we can’t do anything more for everyone else."
Jacobs previously told reporters during Inside Tennessee, WBIR's political show that airs on Sundays, that chiefs at KCSO already make more than $100,000 per year and would be given a 10% raise in Spangler's request.
At a commission meeting, Spangler said he needed to include pay raises for all roles in the sheriff's office. He also said he would file a lawsuit to get a 30% pay raise "as a last resort" against the county. Funding for that lawsuit would also come out of the county's budget.
"The sheriff has threatened to sue if he doesn’t get his way. That would be unfortunate and expensive, and I hope we can resolve this issue to everyone’s benefit. This is very difficult for me because Sheriff Spangler is my friend," Jacobs said.
He also said he planned to "protect Knox County taxpayers," and said he would do that "with every tool available, no matter what may come."
WBIR reached out to the Knox County Sheriff's Office for a comment on Friday. They did not respond by Friday night.