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Brentwood moves toward midyear raise in vehicle allowance and shift premiums to retain officers
Summary
Facing competition from nearby agencies and an average staffing shortfall of about 5.6 officers, Brentwood staff and the police chief proposed raising the sworn vehicle allowance (current $2,400) and increasing evening and midnight shift differentials; commissioners signaled consensus to advance the midyear package for formal drafting.
City staff and Chief Colvin briefed commissioners on recruitment and retention pressures in Brentwood's police department and proposed midyear compensation adjustments aimed at reducing turnover. Staff said the department is losing officers to neighboring jurisdictions offering pay packages that include take-home vehicles and higher starting pay.
Staff presented figures comparing starting wages and allowances across nearby agencies and outlined a two-part midyear proposal: increasing the vehicle allowance for sworn officers from $2,400 to $5,000 (staff estimated an annual cost of about $145,600 at full staffing) and raising evening and midnight shift differentials (staff noted increasing the evening differential to $2,500 and recommended an increase for the midnight shift; the combined differential cost was listed as about $67,900). The staff presenter said the city can absorb the cost midyear using salary-savings from current vacancies.
Chief Colvin described operational impacts and turnover among experienced officers, saying the department cannot easily succession-plan with multiple tenured members departing. He emphasized the proposal targets retention in high-turnover roles and described the proposal as a partial, absorbable step rather than a complete fix to competitiveness concerns.
Commissioners debated whether to set the vehicle allowance at $5,000 or a higher figure (7,600 was discussed as an alternative), weighing recruitment impact against downstream budget implications and vehicle replacement costs. Staff described vehicle acquisition and outfitting costs (acquisition ~$54,000 plus outfitting ~$20,000, totaling roughly $74,000 per vehicle) and said a take-home vehicle program would increase mileage and vehicle replacement needs.
Outcome and next steps: Commissioners indicated consensus to advance recommended shift-differential changes and to proceed with drafting the vehicle allowance adjustment for formal action; staff will draft the ordinance/implementation language and return it for vote at a regular meeting.
