Board approves midyear budget amendment to raise police pay after weeks of debate

Hendersonville’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen on March 11 approved a midyear amendment to the city budget that raises pay for several police ranks and provides small cost‑of‑living increases for other employees, following public comments urging immediate action on police pay and an extended debate over pay compression.

The board voted to give lieutenants and commanders 7.5% raises, assistant chief and chief 2.5% raises, a 10% increase for front‑line officers/MPOs, sergeants and corporals, and 1% increases for other benefited city employees. The midyear amendment passed unanimously.

Public safety was the dominant theme before and during the vote. Several public commenters, including Vicky Johnson and Matthew Sigman of the Hendersonville Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 63, urged the board to approve pay raises immediately to stem departures and preserve public safety. “We demand that you pass this police pay raise tonight,” Vicky Johnson told the aldermen during the citizen‑comment period.

City staff and aldermen debated several competing amendment options on the council floor. An earlier amendment that would have raised lieutenants 7.5% and commanders 2.5% passed 8‑4, prompting concerns that some lieutenants would then make more than the commanders who supervise them. Chief Jones and staff said that compression between ranks could cause morale and supervision issues; staff reported the department has five lieutenants and three commanders. After further discussion the board amended the approved figures to bring commanders up to 7.5% to eliminate the most immediate compression concerns. That change was approved by the full board before the final midyear vote.

Finance staff provided fiscal notes during the debate. Tamara (finance director) said the narrow amendment to raise lieutenants and commanders at a higher rate would cost roughly $27,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year (about $89,000 annualized) in one estimate, while a later, targeted adjustment increasing commanders to 7.5% added roughly $8,000 for the remainder of the year. Aldermen noted vacancies in the police force — the city has 16 vacancies in its public safety ranks — as a factor in deciding to act now rather than wait for the next budget cycle.

Fire department speakers also addressed the board in public comment. Matt Elliott, vice president of the Hendersonville Firefighters Association, and Lisa Boyer emphasized the danger and unpredictability of first‑responder work and asked that any changes consider fire personnel as well. Alderman Sassy said the board’s finance committee will review broader compression and pay‑step issues during next year’s budget to address inequities across departments.

Mayor Clary and staff said updated pay tables reflecting the approved raises will be circulated to aldermen and filed with the record. The board also asked staff to return in two weeks with updated pay tables for all affected positions.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to amend budget to implement raises (final adopted package described above): passed unanimously. - Earlier floor amendment (lieutenants 7.5% / commanders 2.5% / assistant chief 2.5% / chief 2.5%): passed 8‑4; later amended to commanders 7.5% and ultimately incorporated into the final package.

The action closes the immediate pay‑raise debate but aldermen and staff said structural pay‑step and long‑term compression issues will be considered in the next full budget cycle.