Most Coachella Valley cities are expected to pay more for Riverside County Sheriff's Department services due to a recent vote on a rate increase approved by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.
Yahoo reports that the board's vote on Tuesday means the sheriff's department will get a 1.63% raise, which takes the hourly rate from $206 to $209.35 for deputy services.
To cover costs already incurred by the department, the increases will be retroactive to July 1, which Undersheriff, Donald Sharp, addressed in a memo where he stated, "all contract entities will receive billing adjustments from that date."
Riverside County cities that rely on deputies as local police including Coachella, La Quinta, Indian Wells, Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage, will be impacted by these increases, according to Yahoo.
"Salaries and benefits for all sheriff's personnel are negotiated directly between the various labor groups and the Board of Supervisors," Sharp said.
Sharp explained in his memo that the new rates for deputy services are separate from the work the sheriff's department performs for the county jails, court security, and when acting as county coroner.
There was no debate over the raise, and the five supervisors unanimously voted to approve it, Yahoo reported. The sheriff's department said employee salaries represented the most significant impact on rising costs but did not elaborate further on the cause for the rate increase.
When seeking election in 2018, Sheriff Chad Bianco, said he would reduce contract city costs, which at the time reflected a rate of $179.65, but instead of a reduction, these costs have climbed 16.5% over the last four years, according to Yahoo.