Carroll Sheriff Pay Raise Passes Senate, House Despite Bouchat's Resistance: 'It Is Not Right'
On Saturday, HB1060, cross-filed with SB0965, which would increase the salary of the Carroll County Sheriff to $191K starting in 2026, and up to $212K in 2027, passed in the House 124-12 despite the resistance of Carroll Delegate Eric Bouchat, who rose on the House floor to dissent from the rest of the Carroll Delegation.
“It is after much prayer and reflection that I stand before you against my County Delegation’s Bill. I’m going to appeal to your humanity, and empathy for my constituents in Carroll County, and ask you to grant my constituents local courtesy over the officials in my Delegation here. This Bill benefits one individual in Carroll County. And I’ve yet to hear from any of my constituency that they support this Bill. If anything I’ve heard from my constituency that they oppose this Bill. My constituents, just like all your constituents right now, are suffering from the crushing economic inflation that is affecting their mortgages, it is affecting their cost of living. And there’s a bit of an indignation with my constituency that we want to raise a publicly elected official’s salary exactly 51%, that’s $72,000 a year that the Sheriff’s salary would be raised.
Rebutting Bouchat, speaking for the remainder of the Carroll Delegation, was Republican Delegate April Rose.
“Our Commissioners voted unanimously to support this” she confirmed, explaining that the Commissioners were concerned with a previous version of the Bill where the salary was set to automatically increase, but felt more comfortable with the amended Bill where the salary was given absolute limits. “They were in full agreement with this, 100%.”
Harford County Delegate Lauren Arikan, also a Republican, scolded Bouchat for what she called his “proselytizing,” while pointing out he voted in the affirmative on the Bill in Delegation, a point made by Rose as well.
Baltimore County Republican Delegate Nino Mangione, Washington and Frederick County Republican Delegate William Valentine, and Baltimore City Democrat Delegate Luke Clippinger all rose in favor of the Bill as well, mostly citing local deference.
Calvert County Republican Delegate Mark Fisher rose, taking issue with Bouchat invoking local privilege when asking for members to support this Bill, while Bouchat is simultaneously the lone sponsor of a Bill that would impose charter government on counties throughout the state, even those that have voted against it in the past.
The Senate version of the Bill passed on Friday unanimously with no debate.