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Candidates across St. George and Hurricane prioritize public safety pay and retention
Summary
At the forum, candidates from both cities described steps taken or proposed to increase wages, reduce attrition and maintain emergency services.
Candidates in St. George and Hurricane told voters they view public safety as the first duty of municipal government and described recent pay increases, staffing challenges and training costs.
"Public safety should be priority number 1," St. George candidate Greg Allred said. In Hurricane, Mayor Nan Billings described a series of wage increases intended to make municipal pay competitive and reduce turnover. "A 100% to take care of our police," Billings said, noting the city raised police wages multiple times and increased pay for more‑senior officers: she cited a progression for entry officers from about $22 an hour to $28 and said some longer‑tenured officers moved from $57 to $93 (figures given in forum remarks).
Hurricane candidates and former police and power managers described attrition and its cost. Dave Emway and others said losing trained staff erodes institutional knowledge and that recruitment depends on competitive pay and workplace climate. One candidate described a prior estimate that replacing a trained employee could cost roughly $200,000 to $300,000 in recruitment and training expenses.
Why it matters: Police, fire and EMS are front-line services; pay and retention affect response times, training continuity and public safety outcomes.
Points of difference: Candidates agreed on the priority of funding public safety but differed on overall budget approaches and broader social remedies. Some emphasized community engagement and cultural approaches alongside pay; others focused on wages, recruitment and interagency cooperation.
No formal commitments or votes were taken at the forum; participants described past council votes, managerial actions and proposed priorities for the next council or mayor's office.
