Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported which county departments had experienced high turnover rates.
A recent report found that several Collin County Departments are facing high turnover rates.
That included the public works department’s highway patrol unit had a turnover rate of about 86%. And the sheriff’s office’s detention center had a turnover rate of about 26%. The turnover rate for the Sheriff's Office Law Enforcement Operations Bureau was about 13%.
Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner said hiring and retention has been a challenge for law enforcement across the country. He also said he’s encouraged by the county’s budget for the new fiscal year that was approved by the Collin County commissioners last month. The budget included a 4% pay increase for county employees, as well as 14 new detention officers positions and nine new deputy sheriff positions.
Commissioner Susan Fletcher and other commissioners advocated for the pay increase. Fletcher said the average employee in Collin County serves 565 citizens, which is more citizens per staffer than other large Texas counties.
“Since only a month ago when this happened, we've seen a significant amount of applications coming in,” Skinner said.
The projected 2023 turnover rate for the detention center is slightly lower than the 2022 rate.
Joshua Murray, a Collin County resident, said during Monday’s Commissioners’ Court meeting that the county needs to take responsibility for recruiting and retaining staff in its departments.
“You’re going to construct new buildings that require more people, and you don't have the ability to recruit, retain and train new employees,” Murray said.
The county has a bond election scheduled for Nov. 7. The four propositions, totaling about $683 million, include funding to expand the county’s jail, courthouse, juvenile detention facilities and animal shelter.
Murray requested the county put staffing on the agenda for a discussion. But Commissioner Darrell Hale said the commissioners court discusses staffing and retention with county departments during budget hearings.
“It’s not our plan to dictate to our fellow elected officials how they operate their staffs,” Hale said.
The county’s overall turnover rate in 2022 was about 18%. The Sheriff's Office's turnover rate was 20.9%.
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
Caroline Love is a Report For Americacorps member for KERA News.
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