Sworn police officers of the Hattiesburg Police Department, along with equipment operators/drivers in the City of Hattiesburg’s sanitation department, are set to see some bigger paychecks, as Hattiesburg City Council members have unanimously voted to approve a budget amendment that will provide mid-year raises to both of those divisions.
The raises, which were approved during the May 6 council meeting, will be implemented during the first pay period in July.
“Sanitation and police – public safety – are services that all residents expect from a municipal government,” Mayor Toby Barker said. “We were at a point where it was becoming more challenging to recruit and retain qualified people to do those jobs.
“Making this move in the middle of the year allowed us to make an immediate impact. This makes us competitive in the marketplace for those kinds of professions. It was partially because they earned it, but also because the market just demands it now, as you try to continue to keep those folks working for the public.”
For the police department, the measure increases the pay for patrol officers from $40,000 per year to $50,000, with additional pay for educational attainment. An adjusted pay scale will be implemented for patrol officers, sergeants, lieutenants, captains and majors, and additional raises will be allowed for meeting professional development benchmarks.
Barker said this round of raises will make the Hattiesburg Police Department the highest-paying local law enforcement agency in south Mississippi.
When it comes to sanitation, which falls under the City of Hattiesburg Public Works Department, the measure includes a $2-per-hour increase for all sanitation drivers and increases the starting wages for drivers to $18 per hour.
Because the city projects one year behind on sales-tax revenue, officials estimate there will be sufficient revenue for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2023 and all of Fiscal Year 2024 to fully implement the increases.
“I’m very thankful to the city council for allowing us to always budget one year behind, in terms of sales tax growth,” Barker said. “We know going into Fiscal Year 2024, we’re going to have additional funds to spend because we budget so conservatively.
“I appreciate them unanimously approving this, because it’s a bold step for us. It’s one that we can afford, but one that was necessary for us to pull off. I think the public can continue to expect quality service from the city, because we’re going to have qualified people filling those jobs.”
The issue of salary increases throughout the city was discussed during the June 5 work session of city council, as requested by Ward 2 Councilwoman Deborah Delgado. She had previously requested an update on all pay raises, by department and position, that had been received since January 1.
“I am happy about (the pay raises), for sure,” she said. “I am disappointed that the fire department was not treated the same, and neither were other departments who work just as hard making life palatable in Hattiesburg.
“It’s tough on our low-paid employees who support whole families on insufficient income. It’s time they were placed on the front burner and that we stop boasting about one-dollar raises for our workers.”
