Hendersonville aldermen approve midyear pay boost for patrol officers, fund study of retirement 'bridge'

Hendersonville’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Feb. 25 approved first reading of a midyear budget ordinance that includes a 1% cost-of-living adjustment for all city employees and a targeted pay increase for rank-and-file police officers.

Under the ordinance as amended, patrol officers through the rank of sergeant will receive a 10% adjustment in the midyear pay plan; planned increases for lieutenants and higher-ranking commanders were removed and $27,000 was added to the human-resources professional-services line to fund a study of a TCRS (Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System) retirement “bridge” supplement for public safety employees. The board voted unanimously to approve first reading of Ordinance 2025-O2 as amended; the amendment deleting lieutenant/commander increases and adding the $27,000 study funding passed separately, 11–2.

The vote followed more than an hour of public comment and extended board debate focused on an acute staffing shortage in the Hendersonville Police Department and the broader question of parity between police and fire compensation.

Why it matters

Officials and public-safety supporters said the raises are intended to stop an accelerating loss of officers to surrounding agencies and state-level employers. Several speakers said vacancies have already reduced patrol staffing and jeopardize response times.

Public comment and department…