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St. Louis police board delays vote on multi-tiered command‑staff raises after mayor demands city budget review
Summary
The Board of Police Commissioners read a resolution proposing 16–22% raises for command staff but voted to table the measure to June 17 after Mayor Spencer and others said the city— which pays salaries—was not given adequate time to analyze budget and parity impacts.
The St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners on June 3, 2026, read a resolution that would raise annual pay for the police department’s command ranks — 16% for lieutenants, 18% for captains, 20% for majors and 22% for lieutenant colonels — but postponed a final vote to allow the city time to analyze fiscal impacts.
The measure (Resolution No. 2026‑24) was read into the record by Lieutenant Tully. Board staff and a budget analyst, Mr. Sullivan, presented a fiscal note during discussion: “the raises are going to cost a million $1,48,500,” and “on top of that … the benefits are also going to increase … by $594,000,” Sullivan said in the meeting transcript. Board members asked for documentation and clarification of those figures.
Mayor Tishaura O. Jones Spencer urged the board to work with the city’s budget office before approving any pay increases that have ripple effects across municipal departments. “It’s the city who pays everyone’s salary,” she said, arguing the mayor’s office and the city’s budget director should have been included earlier so the city could assess impacts including parity with firefighter pay and benefit costs.
Supporters of the resolution said the raises respond to long‑running pay compression that leaves many lieutenants and other supervisors underpaid and eligible to retire, undermining retention. Lieutenant Applegate, speaking for lieutenants, described the compression problem and current staffing shortfalls, urging action to hold on to experienced supervisors. “This compression affects the entire police department,” he said.
After extended debate over timing and the completeness of the fiscal analysis, Mayor Spencer moved to table consideration of Resolution 2026‑24 to the board’s next meeting, set for June 17, 2026. The motion was seconded and carried on a roll call vote. Commissioners emphasized that tabling the resolution was intended to allow a full review of citywide budgetary implications rather than as an expression of opposition to pay increases in principle.
Next steps: the board will revisit the command‑staff raise resolution on June 17. Board and city staff said they will attempt to provide the city’s budget office and the board with reconciliations and a clearer fiscal note ahead of that meeting.
