Two bills before the Alabama Legislature would mandate Jefferson County pay sheriff’s deputies more than any other law enforcement in the county and also fund a second public information officer for the Sheriff’s Department. The Jefferson County Commission is mad as hell about it, and they’re blaming Sheriff Mike Hale.

Rep. John Rogers introduced House Bill 623, which increases the pay for the department. Rogers has long been at odds with the commission himself, and delights in micromanaging their affairs from Montgomery.

Rep. Arthur Payne introduced House Bill 594, which mandates the PIO position among others. Payne, too, has a history of meddling in county business from afar.

The commission, however, is not directing their blame at the legislators, but rather at Sheriff Mike Hale.

In the last five years, the Sheriff’s department budget as increased by more than $20 million without a significant increase in services, commissioners said. Instead, the Sheriff’s Department has said it will no longer enforce county regulations of Bingo parlors.

During the Thursday morning work session, commissioners complained that the sheriff never approached them about the raise. When a representative from the Sheriff’s Department asked to speak to the issue, Commission President Bettye Fine Collins cut her off. If the sheriff wants to send a message to the commission, he could deliver it in person or not at all, Collins said.

Sheriff Hale has had a contentious relationship with the commission for years. Three years ago, he fought with then-Commission President Larry Langford about excessive overtime pay. The sheriff held his ground in that struggle, but this time the political landscape has changed. With the entire commission lined up against him, and under the control of his own party, Hale’s credibility in the fight might be diminished.

— Kyle Whitmire