High Springs approves three‑year police bargaining agreement; chief says move addresses step‑plan compression

The City Commission of High Springs on Sept. 15 approved a three‑year bargaining agreement between the city and the Florida Police Benevolent Association covering wages and related provisions.

Chief Antoine Shepherd, High Springs Police Department, described the contract as a step to correct salary compression—placing officers into the pay grades they “should have been in” after past years of inconsistent adjustments. Shepherd said the agreement includes annual openers and that the city gave a 5% adjustment as part of placing officers into their appropriate step allocations.

Why it matters: Chief Shepherd told the commission the step adjustments are intended to prevent turnover by bringing longer‑tenured officers closer to market and to stop further salary compression between new hires and existing staff.

Key details and discussion

Contract length and process: Shepherd said the contract is a three‑year deal with openers each year. He also reported the union’s internal ratification process resulted in 17 ballots permitted and, after a correction, 12 affirmative votes with none recorded as opposed in the corrected allotment he received from the union.

Step plan and pay: Shepherd explained the action is not a flat across‑the‑board raise but a re‑placement of officers into the pay step they should occupy; where previous step progressions were missed, the agreement restores those advances. Shepherd said some members will still remain behind market by “about $10,000–$15,000” compared to neighboring agencies.

Supervision, vehicles and operations: Commissioners asked about the size of the department and vehicle policy. Shepherd said the department has roughly 20 full‑time sworn personnel (including sergeants) and about five sergeants in supervisory roles; he explained take‑home vehicle policies stem from a contract provision and operational readiness considerations. Shepherd and staff discussed leased versus purchased vehicles, rotation strategies to lower maintenance costs and the difficulty of acquisition given the market.

Budgetary impact

Commissioners asked how the wage changes affect the city budget. Shepherd said the step corrections were necessary to retain experienced officers and that the department will use retirements and internal reallocations (for example a retiring sergeant) to free funds to help address remaining gaps for several members. The commission accepted the contract at the meeting.

Ending

With the contract ratified by the commission and the union’s internal ratification completed, the city said it will continue to monitor recruitment and retention and consider further adjustments in future budget cycles as needed.