With no rulings yet from last week’s hearing in Fikes v. Turner, the Perry County Commission and its chairman, Albert Turner Jr., have asked the court to “maintain the status quo” on who employs several workers assigned to the sheriff’s office.
In a motion filed Monday, Oct. 13, the county argues that only deputies and jailers serve at the pleasure of the sheriff, while other positions—such as clerical staff, dispatchers, the jail cook, courthouse security and the jail administrator— are county employees covered by the county’s personnel policies. The filing cites Alabama law and several Attorney General opinions to support treating non-deputy, non-jailer roles as county positions subject to commission rules.
Sheriff Roy Fikes sued earlier this year over control and classification of personnel assigned to his office. The case had an Oct. 9 hearing; the judge has not yet issued any orders as a result of the hearing.
The county’s new motion asks the court to expressly keep existing classifications in place while the broader dispute is decided, asserting that changing those workers to “at-will sheriff’s employees” would alter their rights under the county handbook.
No response from the sheriff’s side had been filed as of press time.
