Huntersville commissioners voted unanimously to raise the starting salary for police officers to $61,000 and to increase current sworn pay scales by a flat $4,800, a change the police chief urged to improve recruitment and retention.

Chief Brian Vaughn told the board that the department is contending with rising regional pay, a tightening labor pool for new recruits, and an internal vacancy rate near national trends for metropolitan agencies. Vaughn said Huntersville had historically drawn younger officers who lived in town but that the department’s share of officers living in Huntersville has fallen to about 30% from roughly 70% two decades ago; he tied that shift to housing affordability and pay competition.

Why it matters: Town officials and the police chief said the increase is aimed at reducing turnover, improving lateral hiring of experienced officers and avoiding repeated recruitment and training costs. Vaughn estimated the first‑year cost to recruit, hire and train a new officer at roughly $125,000–$135,000.

What the board approved
Commissioners approved increasing the department’s starting salary from roughly $56,200 to $61,000 and raising existing sworn pay scales by $4,800. Town staff estimated the near‑term budget impact at about $425,000; management and the chief said the adjustment can be absorbed without cutting other programs this fiscal year and will be revisited in the next budget cycle.

Council comments and next steps
Several commissioners expressed support, citing public‑safety priorities and the need to retain experienced officers. Council members noted that pay alone is not the only retention tool and that management will continue to examine other benefits and recruitment measures in the coming budget process. The salary change was made effective the first payroll in October.