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Council hears police pay proposal to match regional market; officials cite vehicle-ownership savings
Summary
Chief Mike Gledhill proposed raising starting officer wages to align with statewide averages to improve retention; he said savings from switching leased vehicles to City-owned units and operational efficiencies would fund the increase. Council also discussed a conceptual secure evidence-storage building as a future capital project.
Police Chief Mike Gledhill presented a compensation adjustment aimed at bringing Vernal City's starting officer wage closer to the statewide average, arguing that improved pay would reduce turnover and long-term recruitment and training costs. He said staff compiled a compensation comparison using agencies across Utah and discussed the proposal with Uintah County Sheriff Steve Labrum, who expressed support for a more competitive regional wage structure.
Chief Gledhill and City Manager Quinn Bennion said the compensation increase could be offset by savings from transitioning the fleet from leased to City-owned vehicles and by operational changes tied to the Victim Advocate program restructuring. Councilmembers generally supported the concept. Separately, Gledhill described constrained evidence-storage capacity and Quinn Bennion proposed a secure storage building adjacent to the Police Department as a future capital project to address long-term needs.
