Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council debates treatment of police signing bonuses; acting chief estimates ~$100,000 for next year
Summary
Councilors discussed whether Annapolis Police signing bonuses should be budgeted as one‑time or recurring costs. Acting Chief Amy Meggeth estimated about $100,000 would be a realistic figure for the coming year; the council left the item in the one‑time bucket for FY27 pending further review.
The Annapolis City Council questioned whether police signing bonuses, which have been paid repeatedly in recent years, should be treated as one‑time incentives or added to the base police budget.
Acting Police Chief Amy Meggeth told the council that estimating signing‑bonus costs is difficult but suggested a working figure of about $100,000 for the next year: "It should be about a $100,000 for the next... it's hard to predict, but what we do is we give that information to finance every time someone's hired who qualifies," she said.
Councilors and finance staff discussed the program's recurring use and whether continued reliance on one‑time funds is appropriate. Finance staff and a council member noted that one‑time funds do not carry forward and that if the program will be used indefinitely it may be appropriate to place a realistic recurring line item in the police operating budget. Director of Finance and others urged a policy discussion about the nature of the expense before making a final classification.
The outcome: Councilors left the signing‑bonus proposal in the one‑time bucket for now but asked staff to size a recurring line item for FY27 at roughly $100,000 as a basis for the amendment that will be considered during formal budget action.
