Question from Anonymous

Mayor Connelly a few months ago a survey was gave to the police Dept along with other city dept to determine if the police deserved a different raise percentage than the normal 3%. Has a decision ever been reached if the police dept deserves more money due to the type of work that we do? also do you feel that the police deserve more money?

Steve Connelly answered:

The survey was used to pin down the duties of each employee and to provide the basis of accurate job descriptions. They were not really used to evaluate the yearly cost of living raise amount. The surveys will also help craft ways to reward employees with a pay raise when the advance in training. For instance, if an employee is qulified as a firefighter 1, but moves the a firefighter 2 level through additional training, more money would follow even though the rank stays the same. It seems to be a variant on merit-based pay with measureable achievement levels. These changes are effective July 1 I believe.

Yes, I would like to see both police and fire personnel make more money, and paying for training and experience, not just logevity, is one way of doing it.