Courtesy Photo Corporal Brandon Sandula conducts his daily supervisory duties at the Alpena County Jail on Friday. Sandua is a 10-year veteran in corrections at the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Steve Kieliszewski said corrections officers like Sandula are extremely valuable due to their extensive knowledge and experience. Corrections officers at the jail will receive a raise and bonuses after the Alpena County Board of Commissioners approved a new four-year contract on Tuesday.

ALPENA — The Alpena County Board of Commissioners hopes a large wage increase and bonuses in a new contract with corrections officers at the Alpena County Jail is enough to retain and attract employees.

The new deal was ratified Tuesday as the jail experiences a correction officer shortage that forced Sheriff Steve Kieliszewski to utilize road patrol personnel to cover corrections officers’ shifts.

Correction officers oversee and participate in the custody, security, and treatment of prisoners in correctional facilities. Corrections officers also ensure prisoners’ compliance with institutional rules and regulations.

According to Commissioner John Kozlowski, the new, four-year deal includes a 3% hike in pay each year of the deal. The contract, which is retroactive to Jan. 1, increases the starting pay for corrections officers from $17.19 an hour to $20.40 an hour.

Kozlowski said the raises were necessary because the county’s pay scale wasn’t in line with what other counties pay corrections officers. He said the new deal pays employees fairly and offers incentives the county needed to keep current employees and fill vacancies.

“I think this will help the employees,” he said. “Right now, we are in line compared to what other jails pay.”

The contract offers some lofty incentive bonuses, too. Current employees will receive $3,500 for working during the COVID-19 pandemic and new employees will receive a $500 signing bonus and another $2,000 if they stay employed for one year.

Commissioner Bob Adrian said for some time, the pay for corrections officers in Alpena County was some of the lowest in the state, but not the lowest. He said the new contract bumps it up to the middle of the pack and should help keep and recruit employees. Adrian said the county has a responsibility to make sure the jail is properly staffed and operating the way it needs to

Offering better pay and incentives help it do that, Adrian said.

“A jail is something we have to have or we have to ship our inmates somewhere else. That is the law,” Adrian said. “The raises now bring us closer to the top of what other jails pay, but not to the top.”

A 2020 study concluded the jail needs a minimum of 18 correction officers to properly run the jail, but Kieliszewski has refused to reveal how many correction officers are currently on payroll, citing security reasons.

The situation in Alpena is not unique, as other correction facilities have also struggled to hire and maintain a staff of correction officers.

Kieliszewski said last week that employees are leaving their corrections jobs for others where they will make more money and deal with less stress.