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Police chief proposes $54,000 starting pay and step plan to retain officers
Summary
Melbourne Beach Police Chief Tim Zander proposed raising starting pay to $54,000 and implementing a step plan with 3% annual steps and 5% gaps between ranks; the commission discussed funding and asked staff to include the proposal in budget deliberations.
Police Chief Tim Zander presented a budgetary request to raise the department’s starting pay to $54,000 and implement a structured step plan at the July meeting, arguing the move is needed to keep starting pay competitive in Brevard County and to address internal pay inequities.
Zander said Melbourne Beach’s starting pay had been $51,000 and that neighboring agencies’ starting wages (Rockledge and others) were higher; a $54,000 starting rate would narrow the gap without making Melbourne Beach the county leader. The step plan would confer a 3% step increase per year and preserve a 5% promotional gap between ranks so supervisors are not paid less than those they supervise.
Chief Zander said retention saves money because replacing an officer is expensive, and he noted roughly $230,000 in federal grants and equipment that reduce near‑term capital needs. He estimated the personnel cost for the pay and step adjustments at about $69,000 for the police department, subject to final budget calculations, and said some costs could be offset by grants already received.
Commissioners asked about how the step plan interacts with any across‑the‑board cost‑of‑living adjustments; Zander said the step placement would be the raise for this year and that further adjustments would be evaluated during the budget process. The commission provided direction to staff to include the request in the FY27 budget discussions; no vote was taken at the meeting.
