Council authorizes police hiring plan, authorizes chief to advertise at higher entry pay

Chief Bell, Helena-West Helena police chief, told the City Council that his department is critically understaffed and asked the council to approve a budget redistribution that would allow higher starting pay and hire new officers.

The council approved a motion to authorize the chief to advertise and recruit officers at the proposed new rates — $35,000 for patrolman entry level and $40,000 for patrolman first class — and to adopt a base-pay ordinance at the council meeting on the 15th. The motion was made by Joe Saint Columbia and seconded by Mister Messina; the clerk recorded six yes votes (Saint Columbia, Messina, Dr. Miller, Miss Davis, Miss Miller and Mister Ethele).

The chief said the department currently has seven full-time officers and expects to lose one soon, leaving six on staff. He described extended schedules and heavy overtime as drivers of both burnout and cost: “We spent 275,000 last year in overtime. The year before that, we spent 400,000.” He argued higher starting pay was necessary to recruit certified officers quickly and said the department has identified at least two to four candidates who could start promptly if pay is adjusted.

City staff and councilors discussed implementation mechanics and fiscal controls. The council and the chief agreed the advertised raises would not be paid out until new officers were actually on the force; the chief said increases for current employees would be considered after new hires arrived and overtime levels fell. The city clerk asked that the implementation steps be recorded; the clerk noted for the minutes that the first 11 officers hired will come on at the new rates and that pay adjustments for remaining officers (including the chief) will be considered afterward.

Council members pressed for precision about timing and cost. Chief Bell projected filling to the target staffing level (18 officers total) within about six to eight weeks after advertising. City staff told the council there is a federal reimbursement stream that could offset salaries: the city has approximately $915,000 pending in Washington, D.C., tied to a Department of Justice grant, and the city expects to draw down those funds after completing required performance and financial reports. Staff said the DOJ grant can cover about 75% of eligible officer salaries with the city responsible for 25%. The clerk also reminded the council of a February 2024 Department of Justice audit that cited insufficient officer staffing and that grant rules require an active hiring advertisement to qualify for some funds.

The council majority framed the vote as a budget-neutral reallocation of already-appropriated money rather than a request for new city dollars; several members said they wanted written language tying the advertised hiring and the ordinance adoption to the staffing and reporting steps discussed in the meeting. After the roll call vote the mayor instructed staff to draft the base-pay ordinance for formal consideration on the 15th and to record the implementation conditions in the minutes.

The vote record on the motion was recorded in roll call: Joe Saint Columbia — yes; Mister Messina — yes; Dr. Miller — yes; Miss Davis — yes; Miss Miller — yes; Mister Ethele — yes. The motion passed (6–0).