FAIRFIELD, S.C. — Fairfield County is raising starting pay for correctional officers in an effort to address long-standing staffing shortages at the county jail.

County leaders say they have struggled for years to recruit and retain officers, largely because surrounding counties offer higher starting salaries.

“The starting salaries in Fairfield were lower than any counties around us. As a result, we would lose employees to higher paying positions, and we struggled to get anybody to apply for the vacant positions that we had,” County Administrator Vic Carpenter said.

To make the pay increase possible, Carpenter said the county restructured its budget without adding costs for taxpayers. Several unfilled county management positions were eliminated, their responsibilities reassigned and th

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