The starting salary for Luzerne County sheriff deputies is increasing to $42,000 under a new union agreement the County Council unanimously approved Tuesday.
For 2025, the starting salary was $33,385. New deputies who already completed the required Act 2 certification started at $37,385.
County officials have wrestled with filling sheriff deputy vacancies for years, with compensation identified as a key factor impacting recruitment and retention.
Twelve of the 30 full-time deputy positions are currently vacant, according to the human resources department.
Under the new contract, sheriff deputies will receive either 3% or the new starting salary, whichever is greater, according to information supplied by the administration.
Due to the varying tenure of current deputies, the 2026 raises will range from 3% to 26%, with an average increase of 11%, said county Budget/Finance Division Head Mary Roselle.
In 2027, the second year of the new contract, deputies will receive 7% raises, with the starting salary rising to $45,000, Roselle said.
Raises will be 8% in 2028, with a new starting salary of $48,500. The increase will be 7.2% in 2029 — the final year of the new contract — when the starting salary rises to $52,000.
Sheriff deputies must transport inmates to and from court, secure the courthouse and other county properties, assist county agencies when law enforcement duties are required and service criminal warrants, protection from abuse orders and civil writs.
Sheriff sergeants and corporals will receive 11% increases in 2026, followed by the same percentages provided to the deputies in the remaining three years of the agreement — 7%, 8%, and 7.2%, the administration said.
The collective total cost of the Sheriff’s Department increases over four years is $1.375 million, Roselle said.
A job posting seeking deputy sheriffs, which has not yet been updated with the newly approved compensation, may be accessed in the human resources career opportunities section at luzernecounty.org.
The sheriff’s compensation was an addendum in the new agreement with the AFSCME Court-Related Union.
Other employees in this union will receive 2.5% raises or $2,000 added to their base pay — whichever is greater —in 2026, Roselle said. Going forward, raises will be 3.5% in 2027 and 3% in 2028 and 2029.
In total, this portion of the contract will cost $377,136 over four years, she said.
The other workers covered by the Court-Related agreement are primarily clerical employees in various departments, including the civil and criminal court records, wills, deeds, and public defender’s and district attorney’s offices, the administration said.
Residual
The other council-approved contract is with the AFSCME Residual Union, which covers 911 telecommunicators, security guards, and some employees in road and bridge, building and grounds, mapping, voter services, and several other offices.
These workers will receive increases of 2.5% or $1,000 added to their base pay — whichever is greater — in 2026, Roselle said.
Mirroring the other contract, raises will be 3.5% in 2027 and 3% in 2028 and 2029.
In addition, clerical employees will receive a one-time $1,000 bonus that is not added to their base pay, she said.
A $1,000 incentive will also be paid to 911 telecommunicators who obtain all required certifications to be specialists, she said.
The total cost of this four-year agreement is $657,962, she said.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo said the agreements “mark a step in the right direction for Luzerne County.”
“They deserve to be paid fairly, and we are committed to making that happen,” Crocamo said. “This is about respect — respect for their time, their expertise, and their service to this community. We are proud to take this first step and grateful to everyone who helped make it possible.”
The additional provisions for the Sheriff’s Department and clerical workers are “long overdue,” Crocamo added.