Youngsville council adopts new police pay plan after lengthy debate over years-of-service credits

The Youngsville City Council on July 10 adopted a new Youngsville Police Department pay plan and salary schedule designed to raise starting pay and simplify rank- and year-based steps for officers.

Consultant Dr. Dussay told the council the plan raises base pay to $45,000 and reduces rank differentials to meet state minimums. "No 1 is receiving a decrease in pay under the proposed plan," she said during the presentation. The administration also proposed implementation rules intended to limit future ad‑hoc salary changes and to clarify annual increases.

Council members and members of the public debated several implementation details for more than two hours. A recurring issue was how to treat years of creditable service that previous administrations had sometimes granted to recruits from other agencies. Dr. Dussay said the administration…