Gardens council approves 12 percent raise for police
PALM BEACH GARDENS — City police officers will see 12 percent bigger paychecks after officials approved raises to entice them to stay rather than leave for the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office.
Officers, sergeants and communications operators were set to receive 6 percent raises Oct. 1 under the terms of their Police Benevolent Association contract. Instead, those raises and an additional 6 percent increase will take effect Monday.
Palm Beach Gardens officers have more training hours than any other department in the state and the best facilities and equipment for officer safety, City Manager Ron Ferris said.
“With that, we have the responsibility to be able to recruit and retain these officers and give them a competitive wage in today’s current environment,” he said. “The law enforcement labor market today is changing dramatically. The competition for officers is very high at this point.”
The city is about two years into a collective bargaining agreement with the union that runs through Sept. 30, 2019, but the staff asked to meet with union representatives when they learned as many as 14 officers were contemplating leaving for PBSO.
Palm Beach Gardens has 112 sworn officers when the department is fully staffed. Two positions are vacant. The proposed budget for next year includes money for six more police officers because of growth, including recent annexations.
The sheriff’s office was offering Palm Beach Gardens officers a salary of about $63,500, according to the city. PBSO’s salary range for deputies is $54,252 to $100,632. Deputies also spend less on health insurance and have more opportunities to work on specialty units than they would at smaller agencies, PBA President John Kazanjian had said.
Changes the City Council approved Thursday raise the minimum salary for an officer from $50,909 to $54,000 and set the maximum at $84,000.
The city’s pay is now second only to Boca Raton. An officer at the beginning of Boca’s step plan earns about $66,170 per year, according to city records. The Boca Raton Police Department is short about 25 officers, and 18 of those positions have been added in the past three years.
Boca Raton has about 98,000 residents compared to Palm Beach Gardens’ 55,000.
The Palm Beach County School District determined it had to hire and train at least 75 new officers to patrol all elementary school campuses following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. A state law mandates all school campuses have an armed officer, although it does not require the guards to be certified law enforcement officers.
Palm Beach Gardens Councilwoman Rachelle Litt said the raises are a good move, “especially in the environment we’re in right now.” In surveys, city residents consistently say that police and fire services are what they consider most important.
The raises will deliver a $277,443 blow to the budget this year and cost another $1.67 million next year, depending on what’s approved in the budget.
Councilman Mark Marciano said it’s money well spent.
“There’s no doubt that good people cost money, and if we weren’t as competitive as we should have been, then I’m happy to make the adjustments,” he said.
Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Maria Marino said it’s worth tapping into the city’s reserves to keep the officers.
“You all are probably in one of the safest cities in the county, and we’re happy you’re deciding to stay here,” she told several officers who gathered in the back of the council chambers to hear how officials voted on the measure.
Vice Mayor Carl Woods, a retired police officer, said it’s a “no brainer” for what direction he’s voting. The council has been asking more of city police, including patrolling elementary schools. Officials want to keep them happy and make sure the city has the best, he said.
“We’re just as good as the sheriff ’s department, and we afford our officers as much as we can, and we’re going to make sure they’re exactly where they need to be,” Woods said.
Before the raises, Palm Beach Gardens ranked fifth in pay with departments of comparable size. The city tries to be competitive with the top three to five comparable municipalities.
The market changes every time any agency signs a new contract with the union, Ferris said.
“It’s something that we have to keep on top of and not fall behind like this again,” he said.