Retention bonuses OK’d for Sheriff’s Office

March 25, 2026 by Ben Pounds

Amid staffing difficulties, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office employees will receive a bonus in June of about $3,200 each.

The retention bonus checks will go to everyone in the office except for Sheriff Russell Barker, who successfully asked for the one-time bonus at the March 16 County Commission meeting.

Barker said the he wanted the bonuses because his office has had a difficult time keeping employees and wanted to show appreciation to the ones who’ve stayed.

The bonuses come from unspent rollover funds that the county had already given the ACSO, but which it hadn’t spent.

“This is money that you’ve given to us that you’ve grown accustomed to us returning,” Barker said. The motion for the bonus passed 11-1, with two abstentions.

Anderson County Finance Director Robert Holbrook told the commission the amount would likely be $3,200 for each ACSO employee, but if the rollover funding amount turned out to be lower, the checks would be for a lower amount. Holbrook said the total required to pay for this bonus, factoring in retirement, Social Security and Medicare, is $621,000.

“Guys, I get it,” Barker said regarding concerns about the amount. “It’s a shocking number.”

However, he said the demand for the bonus was “market driven” due to competition for employees from other law enforcement agencies. He said no other county department was losing employees as quickly.

Barker said the ACSO is now down two school resource officers and six patrol officers.

“They can go literally in any direction; they can go across the street and get a pay raise,” he said, referring to the Clinton Police Department.

But “the bulk” of the officers the department had lost went to Knox County Sheriff’s Office, he said.

One went to the Tennessee Highway Patrol and another to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

The two SROs now work for the Oak Ridge Police Department.

“We may have to reduce services if we can’t get this fixed,” Barker said of the staffing issue.

While the funding approved was just for a one-time bonus, not a permanent raise, County Commissioner Shelly Vandagriff, who made the motion, said she was interested in working on the issue more long-term.

“We see you,” she said. “You’re important. And hold on and let us work on this issue.”

Commissioner Chad McNabb seconded.

Voting for the bonus were Commissioners Vandagriff, McNabb, Tracy Wandell, Denise Palmer, Joshua Anderson, Tim Isbel, Jerry White, Anthony Allen, Ebony Capshaw, Phil Yager and Bob Smallridge.

Commissioner Steven Verran cast the sole vote against the bonus.

But Commissioner Robert McKamey abstained. He said he believed that other departments should get a chance to use their rollover funds for bonuses as well.

“I would encourage every other department to come in to the budget committee and ask the same thing, that they be allowed to use their rollover funds,” he said.

Holbrook said he would not feel comfortable with granting the departments those funds for bonuses unless they requested them.

Commissioner Shain Vowell also abstained. He is a captain on the ACSO and a public information officer.

He did say he supports the bonuses.

Absent from the meeting were Commissioners Michael Foster and Sabra Beauchamp.