Forsyth County confirms up to 16 percent public safety pay increases

Forsyth County on Jan. 10, 2026 reiterated that certified employees in the Sheriff’s Office, Fire Department and E-911 Department received pay increases that together total up to 16 percent. The changes trace to the Board of Commissioners’ adoption of the FY2023 budget on Aug. 18, 2022, which built in a 4 percent cost-of-living adjustment beginning Sept. 26, 2022 and an additional salary increase of up to 12 percent effective Jan. 1, 2023.

County materials say the combined adjustments were rooted in market salary information aimed at keeping Forsyth competitive within the metro Atlanta labor market. With the increases, the county states it now offers one of the highest salary packages in the state for public safety personnel, a central argument officials have used to address recruitment and retention pressures in recent years.

County Manager Kevin Tanner framed the decision in public statements tied to the budget rollout. “Forsyth County is one the safest places to live and work in Georgia,” said County Manager Kevin Tanner. The county release also included statements from county leadership and agency chiefs about recruitment, retention and how the increases position Forsyth County in the regional and state market.

The raises are the product of board-level budget choices that reallocate resources toward personnel costs in public safety. That fiscal prioritization carries local implications: higher pay can reduce vacancy rates, shorten hiring timelines and stabilize shift coverage, but it also puts sustained pressure on operating budgets and future budget cycles. The FY2023 budget choices remain a precedent for commissioners weighing spending trade-offs between public safety, infrastructure and other county services.

For residents, the immediate impact is intended to be improved capacity in emergency response and law enforcement through a steadier workforce. Longer term, the county’s approach to using market data to set compensation will shape recruitment strategies for competitive roles and influence how commissioners present budgets to voters. Compensation levels also factor into regional workforce competition as neighboring jurisdictions adjust their pay scales.

As Forsyth moves forward, county officials will likely point to staffing and vacancy metrics to justify continued investment in pay competitiveness. Residents should track forthcoming budget debates and elected commissioners’ positions on compensation and service funding to understand how those decisions affect taxes, services and public safety capacity in the years ahead.