Agenda Item Title:
Authorize the Mayor and Finance Director to Sign Agreement between the Fraternal Order of Police, South Dakota Lodge #2A, and the City of Rapid City for the Period of January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024
Origination Group:
Legal & Finance Committee
Origination Meeting Date:
10/13/2021
City Council Hearing Date:
10/18/2021
Staff Contact:
Joel Landeen, City Attorney; Don Hedrick, Police Chief
Agenda Item Summary:
The proposed contract with the police bargaining unit is for a period of three years. In addition to policy changes and general cleanup of language that occurs in every negotiating cycle, the contract contains a three year wage commitment. Through the budget process, the Council has already been briefed on staffing issues within the police department. The department is experiencing difficulty with recruitment and retention based on its high workload and lower pay relative to other regional departments. Currently, the department’s workload is 73% higher than the regional average. Through the budget process the City has approved a plan that will increase the number of police officers in order to bring the department’s workload more in line with national standards and the regional average. The second piece of mitigating the department’s recruitment and retention issues is to address the overall officer salary so it reflects the high workload, the cost of living, and makes officer pay more competitive within the region. The proposed contract is an effort to achieve that over the next three years. City administration and the management of the police department believes implementing these wages increases will allow us to have competitive starting wages, attract qualified candidates, retain more experienced officers, and improve overall morale and customer service. In addition to the matrix adjustments identified in Appendix A of the contract, there will also be potential cost of living increases based on the CPI. The cost of living increase is capped at 3% and is only triggered if the City’s sales tax growth is 3% or greater.
Funding Source & Fiscal Impact (if applicable):
| Funding | Cost Center |
|---|---|
| General Fund | |
Funding Source & Fiscal Impact Notes:
This agreement will cover a three year period.
Recommendations:
Origination Recommendation Action:
Approve
City Council Options:
You can approve or deny. The current contract expires at the end of the year. If you were to reject this contract, the City’s police officers would not receive any raises and all of the updated policies would be delayed until a new agreement could be reached.