Hendersonville residents and firefighters press Board for pay parity after police raises

Dozens of current and former Hendersonville firefighters and residents urged the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on April 22 to restore pay parity between firefighters and police and to raise firefighter pay and retirement benefits to address recruitment and retention shortfalls.

The comments came during the meeting's public-comment period at City Hall, where speakers — including current and former firefighters, association leaders and family members of a deceased firefighter — described departures to other departments, staffing shortages and the effect of pay disparities on morale.

The appeal centered on the board's recent midyear salary adjustment for the Hendersonville Police Department and the perceived omission of a comparable, contemporaneous increase for the Hendersonville Fire Department. “Income parity is not a suggestion,” said Kimberly Overton, a resident who urged the board to follow ordinance 2004-24, which she cited as requiring comparable compensation for similarly classed city positions. “We should be doing everything possible to strengthen their bond, not create tension between departments.”

Why it matters

Fire department speakers said pay disparities are already…