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 testimony

Residents, current and former officers, and public-safety associations filled the meeting chamber to press for action. Ginger Detliffson, who identified herself as representing the Hendersonville Citizens Police group, appealed directly to the board on officer risk and compensation: "Police officers should be paid more than firefighters because their work demands more in terms of risk, responsibility, and emotional toil," she said.

Matthew Sigman, president of Hendersonville Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 63, told the board that officers were leaving for higher pay and better benefits: "We're not asking to be the highest paid officers in America. We're not asking for handouts or special treatment. We're simply asking to be competitive with the agencies that surround us and the agencies we're losing officers to," Sigman said.

Chief Jones, speaking for the Hendersonville Police Department, said the city historically has been competitive for applicants but no longer is: "For the first time ever, we're not competitive. . . . The pool has decreased significantly," he said, asking the board to consider both pay and benefits to retain tenure and institutional knowledge.

Debate among aldermen

Board members repeatedly described the situation as urgent. Alderman Skidmore, who made the successful amendment, framed it as a short-term fix that preserves lieutenant-and-higher pay decisions for later review while directing staff to study the bridge retirement option for first responders. "We can't afford to lose any more police officers," Skidmore told colleagues.

Other aldermen urged a more cautious, budget-wide review. Alderman Sasse proposed a scaled-back set of increases (5% for officers through sergeant, 3.75% for lieutenants and 1.25% for commanders and chief) as a compromise tied to a full fiscal-year review; that proposal did not survive the full board process.

Finance and staffing context

Board and staff comment during the meeting put several numbers on the problem: members and staff cited at least 16 active vacancies in the police department and additional positions in training or recruitment (one board member summarized that patrol was effectively down by about 29 positions when training and vacancies were counted). Alderman Sasse said an estimate of the ordinance's first-year cost could reach about $1.2 million if a larger, across-the-board increase were adopted at full year.

Board action and next steps

- Amendment (Alderman Skidmore; second Alderman Robertson): Delete planned midyear increases for police lieutenants (7.5%) and for police commanders/assistant chief/chief (2.5%); add $27,000 to HR professional services to fund a study of a TCRS retirement bridge supplement and survey employees on its value. Passed 11–2.

- First reading of Ordinance 2025-O2 (midyear budget adjustments), as amended: Includes 1% COLA for all employees and the targeted police raises through sergeant; first reading passed unanimously. The ordinance returns for second reading in two weeks.

The board also directed staff to pursue a formal study process on the bridge supplement, with public information sessions and a consultant or state resource to explain the program to affected employees. Finance and HR staff noted the study and any consultant engagement will take weeks and be timed to inform the FY2026 budget discussions now scheduled to begin in March.

Other items

The board on the same agenda unanimously passed Resolution 2025-O6, amending membership and duration of the Lakeshore Committee (first reading/discussion on that committee was brief and not tied to the budget votes). A City presentation on an upcoming countywide cleanup event ("Beautiful Hendersonville") also was delivered to the board earlier in the meeting.

What’s next

Ordinance 2025-O2 returns for second reading in two weeks. The $27,000 study and any consultant work will be scheduled to provide findings in time to be considered as the FY2026 budget is assembled; the board also signaled it will review broader public-safety compensation and benefits, including health-insurance contributions and retirement options, as part of that annual cycle.