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Helotes council presses for compensation study results as police recruitment lags
Summary
Councilmembers asked staff for salary-scenario modeling after hearing preliminary data showing unequal applicant pools across departments; the city will seek preliminary compensation survey data by late July and consider a midyear adjustment if warranted.
Helotes — Councilmembers at the July 15 workshop pressed staff to use a new compensation study to address recruitment and retention gaps, particularly in the police department.
Henry, the city administrator, confirmed a compensation study is underway and that a representative from the survey firm will be on site; the administration was asked to produce preliminary results by the end of July or early August so the council can consider midyear adjustments. Councilmember Sabrina urged prioritizing employee retention and requested the council consider a midyear salary adjustment if the survey shows Helotes remains behind comparable municipalities.
Council and staff cited recruitment numbers as an operational signal: the mayor said one recent fire posting attracted 21 applicants, another role attracted 39, while police openings drew only three or four qualified applicants. "If you put out a job request for $20,000 and you get 0 applicants...you know that somewhere in there is the right amount," the mayor said, urging data-driven decisions rather than relying only on application counts.
The mayor suggested several raise scenarios be modeled (for example, 5% citywide versus higher targeted adjustments for departments with persistent shortfalls). Staff agreed to bring multiple scenarios showing budget impacts and trade-offs between raises, capital transfers and any tax-rate changes.
Next steps: staff will report preliminary survey findings late July/early August and present modeled scenarios (various raise levels and personnel-request impacts) for council consideration ahead of budget adoption.
