By Mr. John W. Jones, Executive Director
The VSA is appreciative of the initiatives that were included in the final budget adopted by the General Assembly and made effective in December 2023. The raises included 7% across the board, a targeted compression raises for sworn officers and addressed the salaries of the principal officer by combining population categories to address the lowest population localities. The VSA urges all localities to pass along these important raises to the officers as approved by the General Assembly. No language was included mandating the raises be passed along because most localities work with their sheriffs to accommodate the best pay plan for their localities. The principal officer raises are of particular importance to address the disparity that has existed between sheriffs and executive law enforcement officials in other agencies.