Finance committee backs higher pay for police crime analyst after debate on budget and ordinance limits

The Holyoke City Finance Committee voted 3–2 on March 11 to approve raising the salary offer for a newly hired police crime analyst to $78,000 and forward the item to the full City Council on March 18.

The vote follows a presentation by the police chief urging support for the analyst, Reyna Diaz, whom the chief said has cut overtime and administrative time by producing actionable data. “Since I took helm with the police department on January 6, she’s been an asset to us,” the police chief said, adding Diaz’s work had cut overtime “somewhere around $30,000 per pay period” and reduced other costs through data-driven policing.

The committee’s debate focused on two strains of concern: process and fiscal restraint. Councilor Jourdain said the original FY25 budget had only appropriated the mid-range salary, and that an offer of $78,000 “was never budgeted” and may conflict with a city ordinance that limits starting pay to a position’s mid-range. “We have an ordinance that actually precludes her from receiving $78,000 because it exceeds the mid range,” Jourdain said.

Other councilors pressed for evidence that the position produced measurable savings. Councilor Gibner and Councilor Givner said they had seen data or site visits that convinced them Diaz’s analysis was already producing savings. “We just talked about approving ShotSpotter funding again. What’s the point of approving that if we don’t have anybody to analyze the data?” Givner said. Kelly Carter, the city’s personnel director, said an offer letter for $78,000 was issued in August after review with the auditor because the qualified candidate was available then and “because it was so late in the fiscal year, she said yes.” Carter said no budget transfer was required for this fiscal year.

Councilor Jourdain framed a larger fiscal concern about cumulative growth in city staffing and said he would not support the increase that night absent documentation that overtime and other costs were being reduced. “All of this comes at a cost,” Jourdain said. He said he could be supportive later if the police department documented offsets such as reduced overtime.

The committee approved the pay increase by roll call: Devine, yes; Jourdain, no; Givner, yes; Ocasio, no; Sullivan, yes (3–2). The committee chair said the approved motion will move to the City Council agenda on March 18.

The committee record shows the discussion centered on whether the $78,000 offer was legally allowable under the city’s salary ordinance and whether the department could sustain the starting rate without broader budget offsets. Proponents pointed to immediate reductions in overtime and to recruiting pressures in neighboring cities; opponents cited the FY25 budget appropriation and the need for citywide fiscal restraint.

A final administrative note recorded during the meeting: personnel staff said the FY25 budget contains available funds for the $78,000 salary this year and that no intrafund transfer is necessary for the remainder of FY25.