City boosts pay for police supervisors to stop inequity

“The sergeants have the added responsibility of supervision but are not really compensated for it,” he said.

Waterbury said it was important to remedy the situation since he is 63 and due to retire within the next year and several other administrators are also nearing retirement.

“The baby boomer period is catching up with us and we need to be prepared and we’re not,” he said. “We are going to need front line supervisors who make sure policies are being followed.”

Under consideration at the Dec. 14 meeting was a pay adjustment request made by Waterbury. Although the officers in the union had received a 2 percent cost of living adjustment in 2015, the exempt employees — those in management — had not.

As a result of that, and other raises for the rank and file in recent years, Waterbury told the council some patrol officers made $5,000 more than the police captain last year because they receive overtime and he does not.

One sergeant had made more than the captain and officers were making more than sergeants, who have limited overtime opportunity.

Sergeants and the captain must also have a special certification that they are not compensated for, said Waterbury.

As a result of this situation, the chief said only two out of nine eligible officers applied for an open sergeant position.

“The officers said pay was a factor,” he said.

Instead of having more than 100 applicants test for a place on the department, Waterbury said there were seven in the last round.

Mayor Steve Lawrence said the police department costs more to operate than the total amount of property tax revenue taken in by the city.

“If we continue to do it (give raises), at some point we need to address how we pay for it,” said Lawrence.

Waterbury said operating public safety programs in most communities was one of the greatest costs.

The council had tabled the pay issue for exempt employees in June to get a comparison of salaries in other towns.

“If we’d had this piece of paper in June, I think the outcome would have been different,” said Councilor Russ Brown, who supported Waterbury’s request.

Comparables from similar-sized cities, such as Hermiston, Pendleton, Lebanon and Central Point, showed The Dalles on the low end of the pay scale for both the captain, the second in command, and sergeant positions.

Waterbury said The Dalles had traditionally paid less than other cities. He was granted the funding request to move the captain classification up two steps for a pay range of $5,752 to $7,641.The current range is $5,422 to $6,669.

The sergeants also move up two steps for a pay range of $5,264 to $6,991. The current range is $4,962 to $6,103.

The change in wages will become effective Jan. 1 and is retroactive to July 1, a cost to the city of about $74,463.

“I think the officers have been lagging behind enough,” said Brown.

His comment prompted Lawrence to quip, “We don’t want to make the police department mad.”

“Jay needs to do some succession planning and we need to give him the tools,” said Councilor Dan Spatz.

“I’m in favor of equalizing pay,” said Councilor Tim McGlothlin.

The motion to grant the pay was approved unanimously. 

Councilor Taner Elliott was not present.