The Yukon City Council on July 15 approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Yukon Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) to spend up to $489,937 for police equipment and to establish a retention (longevity) bonus program for eligible officers.

Vice Mayor Jeff Wooten moved the MOU approval; council discussion focused on the retention component and whether similar incentives should be extended to firefighters and other city employees. Acting City Manager Deckard and Human Resources Director Tamara Vickery explained the retention payments are structured to incentivize longer-tenured public safety personnel to remain during a period of likely retirements and succession planning.

Deckard said the retention bonus targets experienced officers (long-tenure employees) and that the city benchmarked similar programs in other metro-area departments. He said the bonus is intended to help manage the succession process without sudden operational gaps. Vickery said the program is tenure-based and tied to years of service; the city’s pay and benefits staff will administer the plan.

Council members pressed for clarity on whether other departments would receive comparable retention pay. Deckard and staff said the police retention bonus is funded through the public employee sales tax (P.E.S.T.) account that supports police, fire and general employee compensation, and the council later amended the MOU language to reference “competitive compensation” in addition to equipment funding to make the intent clearer.

The motion, amended on the floor to include competitive compensation language, passed on a recorded vote with Council Member Filby recorded as “no” and remaining members voting “yes.” The MOU allows procurement of equipment and the stated retention payments; the council directed staff to implement the program in coordination with HR and police leadership.