Council sends police lieutenant salary amendment to Aug. 5 after HR flags errors

Council members introduced Ordinance 20-26-16, an amendment to Bloomington’s 2026 salary ordinance that would add a lieutenant position in the police department and amend prior ordinance 25-38. The motion to introduce and read the ordinance passed, and the council voted to return the item for a second reading on Aug. 5.

Shar Pachek, director of human resources, told the council she had identified "typos and errors and transpose numbers in this salary ordinance amendment" and said HR would submit additional amendments ahead of second reading. "I know that we need to go back and we need to take, like, a much closer look to make sure that we catch any additional errors," she said.

City Controller Jeff McKim clarified the substantive effect: "This is replacement of a sergeant with lieutenant. So it's not a new an increased head count," and noted the memo's fiscal figures require context. He said the "a little bit over $19,000" figure in the packet is an annualized amount and that the current‑year cost is different; he added the controller’s estimates will be refined for the next meeting.

Council members pressed for accuracy on personnel counts and for comparative information about how many sergeants and lieutenants similar cities use. Several members asked HR and the police chief to confirm the current number of sergeants and how the proposed conversion will be reflected in ordinance tables. The council approved sending the ordinance to second reading so staff can correct the packet and provide follow‑up information.