The Monroe County Legislature shot down Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn's request for a $37,000 pay raise tonight. Legislators passed an amendment introduced by majority leader Steve Tucciarello that freezes the Sheriff's pay at its current level.
"We felt at this time that we had to maintain every dollar that we possibly could. So although the Sheriff does a great job and we all appreciate him very much, at this point in time it was a dollars and cents issue," Tucciarello said.
Minority leader Carrie Andrews commended the move by Republicans, saying she was glad they'd joined Democrats on this issue.
O'Flynn submitted the request for a pay raise in order to put his salary in line with the county district attorney's (DA). At a meeting last week he defended his request, stating that his pay had traditionally been 'aligned' with that of the DA.
O'Flynn's current salary is $136,700. The proposed 27 percent increase would have put him at the same level as the DA, making $174,000 per year.
When asked how the sheriff reacted to Republicans' decision to amend the budget and cut his raise, Tucciarello said, "he understood".
The county legislature approved the overall $1billion budget in a partly line vote, 19 to 10. The budget keeps property taxes stable. It also cuts a child care subsidy, and eliminates some positions in county government.
