Council debates pay raises and police step adjustments as budget priorities

Council members repeatedly raised employee compensation as a top priority during Sept. 14 budget discussions, pressing staff for specific dollar figures for 1–4% pay scenarios and APD step changes.

Staff said the no-new-revenue scenario would cover about $5.7 million in personnel increases (with roughly 55% allocated to police and fire), including a 3% across-the-board COLA for police and fire and a 2% COLA for civilians. The additional cost of adding five new officer steps and making corporal-related step changes was presented separately; staff estimated the officer-step package at about $630,046 and said the full comp-study phase 2 is budgeted at $444,000 (the full study would total about $1.96 million).

Several council members favored using updated sales-tax projections and the revised NNR to fund raises while others urged caution so as not to overpromise before transfers and reserves were reconciled. One councilmember suggested a citywide 4% raise as a target if revenues allow; another proposed a smaller approach prioritizing sworn positions and step increases for APD.