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Kennett City council approves $1-an-hour raise for full-time police officers funded by 9-1-1 contract proceeds
Summary
The Kennett City Council approved a $1-per-hour pay increase for full-time police officers, funded from proceeds tied to the city's 9-1-1 contract; one officer with a salary cap will be handled separately.
The Kennett City Council approved a $1-per-hour pay increase for full-time police officers, to be funded from proceeds the city receives under its 9-1-1 contract, and directed city staff to return to the council about one officer whose pay is subject to a salary cap.
Police leadership told the council the department has fallen behind regional peers and that the increase is intended to improve recruitment and retention. "We've fallen way in the''when I say way behind, we're about the second lowest paid department in this area," the chief said. He told the council the raise would make the department more competitive for officers.
The packet compared pay across 12 similarly situated cities: the high annual salary cited was $56,000, the low $39,000 and the average $46,000; Kennett City's current average was presented as about $42,000. The chief said the $1 raise would increase the local average to roughly $44,000 and amount to about a 10% raise for each officer at the wage levels discussed.
Council discussion clarified the raise would apply to full-time officers only; part-time positions were not included in the packet calculations. The council and staff also discussed a single officer whose additional earnings could exceed a payroll cap; the council directed staff to consult the officer and, if the officer accepts the change, bring that individual item back to the council for separate approval.
A staff member told the council the increase is budget-neutral for taxpayers because the funding would come from the proceeds negotiated in the 9-1-1 contract, not from new taxes or fee increases. The council approved the pay increase by motion and voice vote; the raise will take effect in the current pay period and appear on the next payroll as discussed.
Less-critical details: council members noted uncertainty about future regional pay increases and said they could not predict whether the city would need further increases in subsequent years.
