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Council to review police pay after retirement slows staffing
Summary
Council members and Police Chief Christmann flagged officer retirements and difficulty recruiting at current pay; the mayor proposed a budget meeting to consider pay scale changes and the police department reported a second quote for a secured entrance.
Southgate City Council on May 20 heard concerns about police staffing after the retirement of Officer Lawson and discussed whether to adjust pay to retain and recruit officers.
Police Chief Christmann told the council there have been savings from retire/rehire practices but warned of ongoing challenges in hiring, saying the department faces a "struggle to find officer replacement at our current salaries." Mayor James Hamberg suggested a follow-up meeting to review the police budget and "possibility of increasing the pay scale." The chief also reported that the department had received a second quote for a secured entrance at the police department.
Council Member Messmer raised the staffing gap and urged the council to look at the police budget. The transcript records no formal motion or vote on budget changes at the meeting; the mayor and Finance Director Edgley agreed to prepare budget adjustments for the next meeting.
