After learning that the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office is facing staff shortages, apparently due to having lower pay than other agencies in the area, the Hoke County Board of Commissioners will meet in special session to consider the department’s budget.

The board scheduled a special called meeting for Tuesday, May 11 at 11 a.m. in the commissioners’ room in the Pratt Building located at 227 North Main Street in Raeford. The purpose of the meeting will be to consider the sheriff’s budget request to increase deputies’ salaries.

Sheriff Dr. Hubert Peterkin addressed the board members Monday at their regularly scheduled meeting, saying his department had lost 14 deputies and another six were planning to leave as well. Staffing shortages of qualified personnel are an issue law enforcement agencies across the state are currently dealing with, and surrounding counties offer higher pay than Hoke does, Peterkin said.