This commentary was contributed by San Benito County Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. Lea este artículo en español aquí. 

With the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office facing continued staffing challenges ‒ including recruitment of new deputies and retention of current sworn personnel ‒ Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki is proposing the county implement three new incentive programs. 

Kosmicki formally proposed for the County Board to consider implementing the following in 2026-27: 

  • Hiring Bonuses for new sworn patrol and field personnel
  • Retention Bonuses for existing sworn patrol and field personnel
  • Allowing new recruits with experience to use those years of service for compensation benefits in San Benito County. 

The goal with these newly proposed programs is to assist the Sheriff’s Office with recruitment of new sworn personnel and retention of existing employees. 

The first proposed program would include Hiring Bonuses for new sworn patrol and field  personnel. Kosmicki is proposing the county consider implementing Hiring Bonuses in comparable fashion to the existing City of Hollister dollar amount — $25,000 to new hires paid out incrementally in a span of three to five years depending on Board direction. 

The second program includes one-time Retention Bonuses for existing sworn patrol and field personnel equating to 10% of an individual’s current base salary with further deliberations about the time span over which personnel would receive this incentive pay. 

The third proposed change for discussion includes allowing new sworn Sheriff’s hires from other California jurisdictions to transfer their years of service from those outside agencies to San Benito County in order to receive applicable longevity pay benefits as San Benito County employees. 

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors will introduce my proposals at the upcoming Budget Workshop scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 16. They are up for consideration or refinement by the Board as it moves toward adopting a budget this month. 

For background, the county staff and Board have made immense progress with stabilization of the county budget in these challenging fiscal times for local governments. 

“We have more work to do this fiscal year as we work toward balancing the budget,” Kosmicki said. “Still, the County must continue to prioritize essential public safety services, and these incentives are a step toward addressing the current staffing shortage.” 

In recent years, the County Board has significantly increased base pay for Sheriff’s personnel through salary increases, health benefit increases and longevity pay enhancements. The Board in 2024 also reclassified jail personnel positions — which equated to significant pay increases — to address staffing shortages at the jail facility. 

These latest proposals are intended to assist the Sheriff’s Office with recruitment and retention efforts to fill existing vacancies while the County Board examines other ways to become more competitive with law enforcement compensation.

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