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Clayton council authorizes police chief recruitment, adds 4% COLA to base salary range
Summary
Council approved staff's request to build a 4% cost-of-living increase into the police chief salary range to aid recruitment, raising the range to about $146,000–just under $180,000; some council members urged lifting the top end further and noted additional compensation mechanisms such as certificate and longevity pay.
The Clayton City Council on Feb. 18 approved staff's request to update the police chief salary schedule and begin recruitment. City Manager Chris told the council he wanted to build a 4% cost-of-living adjustment into the base salary so recruitment materials reflect the higher base and enable the city to negotiate total compensation, including certificate pay and potential longevity pay.
"The 4% basically takes the range from a low of $141,000 and a high of $173,000 and raises it to a low of 146 up to just under $180,000," City Manager Chris said. The council discussed whether the top end should be increased further; Council member Diaz urged moving the top step "closer to 200,000" for recruitment and parity with nearby jurisdictions, while other members warned about budget constraints and said staff should try recruitment with the revised range and return if the candidate pool is insufficient.
After discussion the council voted 5-0 to adopt the salary adjustment and proceed with recruitment. Council members noted that certificate pay (often 5% for post certificates) and longevity provisions could increase the total compensation for a final hire beyond the base salary in the packet.
What happens next: staff will finalize recruitment materials and open the selection process; if the city manager reports an inadequate candidate pool or requests further compensation changes, the council said it would revisit the salary schedule.
