Board approves police pay raise citing recruitment challenges; effective Oct. 1

The Nassau Village Board voted to raise police wages to address recruitment and patrol shortages. Chair Ben Gorman moved to increase the chief's hourly pay from $23.25 to $29.39 and patrol officers from $19.78 to $25; the motion was seconded by Guy and carried by voice vote.

"So I'm gonna make a motion that we increase the chief from $23.25 to $29.39 and the officers from $19.78 to $25," Chair Ben Gorman said when he introduced the proposal, explaining the board is finding it difficult to recruit officers to fill the budgeted 80 hours of patrol per week. Gorman said the increase is intended to make patrol shifts easier to staff and improve responsiveness to speeding complaints on Elm Street, Lake Avenue, Route 20 and Route 203.

Gorman presented budget figures to frame the decision: the policing line was budgeted at $106,007.85 (expended through Aug. 31), with approximately $16,006 used to date. He told the board that if the department fills all shifts after the raise, the total cost could push slightly above the current budgeted amount and that the village might need to appropriate additional funds; if not all shifts are filled the increase would still leave the line under budget in Gorman's projection.

When asked about the effective date, Gorman confirmed the change is effective Oct. 1 and said he would provide an updated certified payroll to reflect the new rates. The board did not record a roll-call tally in the minutes; the motion was moved, seconded and carried by a voice vote recorded in the meeting transcript.