Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Study shows steep entry and midpoint gaps for police and telecom positions; fire pay closer to market
Summary
Consultant found police entry pay and midpoint 15–18% below peer-market midpoints and telecommunications roles also lag; fire pay was roughly competitive overall but some ranks and structures need alignment.
A consultant briefing at the Fort Myers City Council workshop showed the largest pay gaps for front-line public-safety staff were concentrated in police officer and telecommunications operator roles, prompting councilors to press staff on peer choices and recruiting impacts.
Dan Rippberger of Bolton presented detailed police-market figures: the mean base was around $73,049 while the 50th percentile was $70,007.62 and the market midpoint the consultant cited was approximately $90,000 — figures the consultant said left the city’s police pay 15–18% below the market midpoint on different measures. "If you compare that to the 50th percentile of the market of 90,000, it's 18.3% below," he said. Rippberger also highlighted that police entry pay ($60,009.08) was about 17.2% below the market 10th-percentile entry point.
Councilors questioned whether including larger East-Coast jurisdictions in the peer group (Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach) skewed results upward; staff said removing those three and replacing them with more West-Coast comparators could materially change the outcome. The consultant recommended the council pick a percentile target (50th, 70th or 75th) as the basis for an implementation plan; moving to the 75th would add roughly 10–12 percentage points on top of current standing and would likely require a multi-year plan and budget tradeoffs.
