Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Hiring topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cedar City debates pay for lateral police hire as mayor raises equity concerns
Summary
Chief Darren Adams asked the council to approve a higher starting salary for lateral hire Avery Shumway based on combined corrections and patrol experience; the mayor raised concerns that the pay would exceed that of some internal officers, and council agreed to place the wage approval on consent pending final documentation.
Mayor and councilmembers spent substantial time on Oct. 8 discussing a proposed wage for a newly hired lateral officer, Avery Shumway. The mayor expressed concern about making a new hire27s starting pay higher than many incumbent officers, noting fairness and morale implications.
Chief Darren Adams explained the department's lateral-hire approach: to credit years in corrections and road patrol toward the pay calculation, to apply a standard formula (2.5% per year applied to the rank progression), and to ensure internal equity by comparing proposed wages to current employees. The chief said Shumway brings roughly seven-and-a-half years of combined corrections and patrol experience and that the proposed pay reflects that work history and the city's strategic recruitment needs.
Staff acknowledged recent inconsistencies in presented spreadsheets showing ranges and individual starting salaries. Human resources and the mayor27s office will confirm the numbers in time for the action meeting. The chief said the department has used corrections experience in prior lateral hires and that suddenly rescinding that practice would create internal inconsistency given hires that started the same day.
Councilmembers asked whether the hire was budget-neutral (staff said the vacancy being filled freed funds), whether the proposed wage would be retroactive to the officer's start date (the chief asked that it be effective back to the pay period that began Oct. 5), and whether the mayor and city manager were prepared to approve the requested rate. Staff said several lateral hires started the same week with similar variable starting salaries due to differing experience and negotiated offers.
Ending: Council indicated consensus to place the wage-approval item on consent for the upcoming action meeting after staff provides clarifying payroll documentation; no final wage was approved at the Oct. 8 work meeting.
