Greenwood firefighters urge council to restore longevity pay, warn of recruitment and retention losses

At the Greenwood Common Council meeting on Sept. 15, two members of Local 4252 urged council members to prioritize higher pay and restoration of longevity benefits for the Greenwood Fire Department, saying the city’s certified pay ranking has fallen sharply since 2012.

Brian Johns, who identified himself as district vice president of Local 4252, told the council that Greenwood’s certified salary percentile fell from the 64th percentile in 2012 to the 28th percentile in 2025 and that other nearby cities now pay materially more. “We are not better today than we were 20 years ago regarding paid benefits,” Johns said. He urged the council to “put people and employees first” and to request a budget from the mayor that addresses police and fire pay for 2026.

Tyler Garrett, who said he is a taxpayer and also a firefighter and vice president of Local 4252, criticized a proposed 1% raise for 2026 as inadequate, calling it effectively a pay cut without a cost-of-living adjustment. “One percent is not only a slap in the face, but it is ultimately a cut in pay,” Garrett said, adding that Greenwood firefighters’ local comparisons put average Greenwood pay below Franklin, Bargersville, and White River Township by thousands of dollars.

Johns and Garrett urged the council to restore a longevity (step) plan that would improve recruitment and retention. Johns said Greenwood had been promised improved compensation tied to development revenue and a food-and-beverage tax but that firefighters have repeatedly been left behind in subsequent budget adjustments.

During the same meeting, the city controller addressed questions about longevity and broader budget uncertainty. The controller said there were currently no plans to restore longevity citywide given uncertainty about property-tax cuts and replacement revenues over the next two years. “At this point, there's not any plans to bring it back, just because of the uncertainty for the next 2 years,” the controller said, describing the constraints created by state changes to property tax rules and the uncertain timing of replacement revenue streams.

No formal action was taken at the Sept. 15 meeting to change firefighter pay or to reinstate longevity; the speakers asked the council to review those items during the budget process. The council and finance staff continued the budget discussion during the meeting’s finance presentation and are scheduled to consider proposed budget ordinances introduced that evening.