Council approves new police support specialist position and salary range after debate on pay and timing

The London City Council on third reading approved a new police support specialist position and set salary ranges for department heads and nonunion personnel, actions council members said will allow the police department to post and fill the new role as dispatch functions transition to the county.

Resolution 136-25 amended job descriptions to add a police support specialist with duties that overlap some dispatcher functions and include evidence-room management, grant writing and community liaison work. Council then passed Ordinance 138-25 to amend the codified ordinance 194‑24 to reflect salary ranges for department heads and nonunion employees and to set the pay range for the newly created position.

Council discussion focused on pay equity and timing. One council member observed the approved starting range for the new police support specialist “is higher by over $5,000 over the chief deputy auditor,” and noted the top of the range is lower than some other department head wages. Administration and police staff explained the department wants to post the position quickly to avoid gaps as dispatch duties migrate to the county: if the council did not act promptly the department would rely on officers to cover front-desk duties or a phone line.

The measures passed on the third reading. During recorded voice votes, Councilman McDaniels voted no on both measures while the majority voted yes. Officials said the actions set wages for the next three years; the meeting transcript does not provide the exact numeric starting salary in a single unambiguous format in the public record excerpt, but council discussed that the new starting range would be higher than some existing positions.

Why it matters: Creating the police support specialist formalizes duties formerly handled by clerical staff and helps the police department maintain customer service and evidence-room continuity while dispatch functions move to county services. The salary decision affects the city’s wage table and drew attention from council members concerned about internal equity.

Next steps: Administration will post the position and proceed with recruitment once codified wage ranges are in effect. Council members asked for timely hiring to ensure front‑desk coverage and operational continuity.