Rio Rancho police union, city reach agreement on pay
Contract includes higher starting salaries, faster advancement
The City of Rio Rancho and the Rio Rancho Police and Dispatchers Association reached a deal on an updated contract, and the city’s governing board approved it this week.
It includes raising starting officer salaries and a faster advancement plan, allowing promotions through the ranks more quickly to earn higher pay, according to a city news release.
Union members OK’d the new agreement Jan. 30, officials said.
The Rio Rancho Governing Body voted for final approval on Tuesday, officials said. The pay increases for all police and dispatch personnel will go into effect in April.
Officials cited a pair of examples under the new contract: new hire cadets can earn $20 per hour rather than the current $17.65 per hour and a midlevel officer with eight years experience becomes a senior officer making $28 per hour rather than $23.28 an hour.
The contact also notes that the top end for officers is the master officer level at $30 an hour in a 12th year of experience, rather than the 15th year, according to the release.
“This has been a lengthy and challenging process, but in the end, it was worth those efforts,” Police Chief Stewart Steele said in a statement.
“We appreciate everyone involved, but we would like to specifically thank Mayor (Gregg) Hull and the City Council, city administration, the association and, of course, the men and women of the Rio Rancho Police Department,” he said. “This contract demonstrates that the people of Rio Rancho are serious about taking care of those who protect others.”
Hull, in a statement, said, “public safety is our top priority, and this updated agreement clearly demonstrates this fact.”
Police salary increases are expected to be paid for with money from the recently approved higher PNM franchise fee or rights-of-way agreement that is expected to generate $750,000 in recurring annual revenue, according to the city.
Rio Rancho administrative staff has been working on the new, long-term deal for nearly a year, the mayor said.
The new contract is in addition to changes to give newly hired officers with experience from other agencies, one year of service credit for each year served elsewhere, up to 10 years, according to the release.