Fayetteville council approves short-term funds, orders public-safety pay study

The Fayetteville City Council approved one-time funding and directed a study to resolve pay compression in public safety, voting to set aside up to $450,000 to address immediate disparities in police and fire pay and to fund a $75,000 compensation study.

The move follows weeks of budget briefings and a lengthy discussion at the council’s work session about how recent changes to step pay plans created “leapfrogging,” where newly promoted officers or firefighters take home pay that equals or exceeds longer-serving supervisors. City Manager Mike Hewitt said the study will inform longer-term structural fixes and recommended implementation beginning in January 2026.

Why it matters: Council members and staff said recruitment and retention are under pressure. Councilors cited vacancies — particularly in the police department — and argued that visible pay inequities risk losing officers and firefighters. Staff warned that piecemeal fixes could be repeated later unless the city corrects pay structures systemically.

City Manager Mike Hewitt said staff implemented council direction from last year — including moving many officers and firefighters onto step plans — but that created unintended compression when promoted employees entered pay-range positions. Hewitt said, “what I'm getting to... If we don't do something and maintain what we have, it's gonna deteriorate,” stressing both operational risk and fairness concerns.

Budget director Kimberly Leonard and a staff presenter, Jerry Clipp, told the council that correcting all public-safety compression could cost roughly $1.5 million in total, depending on the study’s findings. Clipp recommended the $75,000 study and suggested implementing recommendations the following January so the new police chief can participate in the planning.

Council debate split between urgency to make immediate adjustments and caution about long-term sustainability. Council Member Majandres pressed for faster action, saying the council knew about compression issues last year and should fix them now. Several council members supported the study as a way to avoid repeating short-term fixes.

Council action: The council voted to approve up to $450,000 to resolve immediate compression issues in the police and fire departments and to allocate $75,000 for a public-safety compensation study. Staff indicated they intend to return with recommendations that would begin implementation in January 2026.

Ending: City staff will carry out the study and return with detailed recommendations and cost estimates. The council added the items to the meeting’s budget parking lot for follow-up and implementation guidance.