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Ennis officials present pay‑study showing police and fire pay lagging peers; chiefs urge phased plan
Summary
City and department leaders presented a regional pay comparison showing Ennis pays for police and fire trailing regional averages by rank. Chiefs warned the gap hampers recruitment and lateral hires; staff outlined options and an estimated salary‑only impact for fire near $500,000 annually.
City staff and department leaders told the Ennis City Commission on April 21 that both police and fire pay scales fall behind regional averages, raising recruitment and retention concerns.
The fire‑department presentation (led by the fire chief) compared starting and top‑out pay across a 19‑city benchmark group. The chief said starting pay for firefighters was about 7% below the regional average and that driver engineer, captain and battalion chief starting pay were 12%, 18% and 25% below the average, respectively. Top‑end differentials were also material, the chief said, and he estimated the salary‑only annual cost to bring the fire department closer to a regional average at roughly $500,000 (excluding benefits and potential overtime impacts).
The police presentation reported similar disparities: starting pay for patrol officers was shown about 15% below the comparison set and top‑out pay about 17% below. Sergeants and lieutenants showed larger gaps. Presenters warned that lateral transfers and aggressive hiring in neighboring cities were reducing the applicant pool in Ennis and that replacement of experienced leadership ranks would be costly and time‑consuming.
Commissioners asked about evaluation practices, retention agreements tied to training (new hires would sign a training commitment going forward), response times and staffing needs. Chiefs acknowledged some recent retirements and lateral losses but said turnover overall has been modest; they recommended a data‑driven phased plan to narrow the pay gap and suggested exploring grant opportunities to fund additional positions.
The presentations underscored staffing shortfalls: police staff said they are short by roughly 8–12 officers to meet target coverage; the fire chief said he has requested three firefighters per year and noted he would like to add nine over time but recognizes budget constraints.
Commissioners did not take immediate salary action at the meeting but directed staff to include these data in upcoming budget planning and to provide slide decks and more detailed cost scenarios.
Sources: presentations and Q&A with Ennis public‑safety leadership as recorded in the commission meeting transcript.
