Hot Springs raising police officers’ pay

Starting salaries increased to $50,053; entire force will receive 12.5% raise

HOT SPRINGS — City Manager Bill Burrough said Hot Springs’ more than $20 million general fund balance can sustain through several budget cycles pay raises the city Board of Directors approved for the Police Department Tuesday night.

The $726,529 increase in the $3.89 million supplemental general fund subsidy the police fund receives will pay for 12.5% raises for the department’s more than 100 officers through the end of the year. It will also fund stipends for officers who reside in the city and signing bonuses for new hires.

The city projected a $1.27 million annual cost for the new pay structure, which raised the starting salary for sworn officers from $44,492 to $50,053. Entry-level sergeant pay will increase from $66,876 to $75,235, and entry-level lieutenant pay will go from $76,008 to $85,509.

“I don’t have a crystal ball of what happens five years from now, but I know what is happening now,” Burrough told the board. “Over the past two years, it’s been difficult to maintain a full police force. For every one of those officers we don’t have, it puts all the other officers at risk.”

The department has told the board other agencies, including the Arkansas State Police, are recruiting the city’s police officers. Police Chief Billy Hrvatin said he knew of five officers who have applied for jobs with the state police, which raised its starting salary to $54,000 last summer.

“We’ve got some of the best-trained officers in the state of Arkansas,” Burrough told the board. “I think that’s why this group is so heavily recruited.”

He said the Malvern Police Department paid higher salaries prior to the board’s approval of the new pay structure. Raises the Garland County Quorum Court approved for the sheriff’s office earlier this month raised starting deputy pay from $42,770 to $47,770. The city said the Benton Police Department recently increased its starting salary to $51,000.

“We have to stop the bleeding of losing our officers,” Burrough said. “It’s happening more and more. If you look at that list of all the other cities that have done something similar, we have to find a way to get around that $50,000 mark for entry-level officers.”

Last year the department had as many as a dozen vacancies in its 115 budgeted positions for sworn personnel. It reported three vacancies last month. A U.S. Department of Justice grant partially funds five positions. The grant requires the city to fully fund them for one year after the grant ends.

The city said police haven’t had a significant raise since voters authorized the city to levy a 0.5% public safety sales tax in the November 1998 general election. Sixty percent of the proceeds support the police fund. The Police Department’s $16.81 million adopted budget projected the department’s 2023 share at $5.83 million.

The dedicated revenue source notwithstanding, most of the police fund’s support comes from the general fund. It receives a fixed $4.81 million general fund subsidy every year in addition to a supplemental subsidy. The latter was $3.89 million for 2023, a 56% increase compared to the supplemental transfer budgeted for 2019.

The budget adjustment the board adopted Tuesday night included $100 per pay period for the 35 officers who reside in the city.

Based on that number, the city projected the residency stipend would cost $91,000 over 12 months. Burrough said he hopes the incentive convinces more officers to move to the city.

“I’d love nothing more than all 115 officers to live in Hot Springs,” he said.

Hrvatin, joined by about a dozen other officers, thanked the board after it adjourned for the night.

“In the last few years we’ve seen communities across America remove funding and resources from their police agencies,” he said during the public comment period. “We’ve seen you maintain and continue your support for us and the safety of our city. We sincerely thank you for your continued support of law enforcement.”