St. Louis police board approves raises for command staff; mayor votes no, urges coordination with city budget

The St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners voted 4–1 on June 17 to approve Resolution 2026-24, a measure that increases annual salaries for command staff in the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The resolution authorizes a 16% increase for lieutenants, 18% for captains, 20% for majors and 22% for lieutenant colonels, with all increases effective June 28, 2026.

The motion to approve the resolution was made by Commissioner Artega and seconded by Commissioner Jenkins Gray. Lieutenant Fle conducted the roll call: Commissioners Serino (recorded in the roll as Cino), Tigga, Jenkins Gray and McVey voted yes; Mayor Spencer voted no.

Mayor Spencer said she opposed the timing and process for the raises, telling the board it “was a 10 or 12 two week delay” and that the city had been given little notice before the resolution arrived. She urged the board to coordinate pay decisions with the city’s budget and to consider the full compensation package the city bears for employees, including pension and lifetime health benefits. “Public safety doesn’t occur in a vacuum,” Mayor Spencer said, asking the board to work “in conjunction with the decisionmaking by the city that it serves.”

Chief Tracy, speaking in support of the resolution, described pay compression and retention risks in the command ranks and presented comparative salary figures and cost estimates. He said the department’s lieutenant colonels were paid about $121,000 and that lieutenants were paid about $98,826, and argued the proposed increases would move those ranks closer to peers in nearby jurisdictions. Chief Tracy estimated the raises would cost roughly $1 million under “actual strength” and up to $1.44 million under fully budgeted staffing assumptions. “We’re just asking with a 20, 22% raise to get them up to … which is right where the county is,” the chief said.

Board members questioned funding sources and whether the raises fit the department’s FY2026 budget baseline; staff indicated the analysis used the FY2026 budget (approximately a $200 million baseline) and assumed allocations into FY27. Commissioners and the mayor discussed forming a working group to ensure better city–board coordination on items that affect the city budget.

The resolution text specifies the percentage increases by rank and the June 28, 2026 effective date. The board recorded the vote immediately after discussion; the motion carried despite Mayor Spencer’s dissent. The board did not identify additional implementation steps or immediate changes to other departmental budgets during the meeting; commissioners said some operational details would be addressed afterward and that they intended to coordinate further with the mayor’s office.

The board moved on to other business after the vote. The decision stands as a formal board action authorizing the pay increases; city budget offices, pension administrators and department payroll will need to reconcile the increases with city-funded compensation components and benefits that the city pays separately.