City directors pass pay raise for security guards

LITTLE ROCK — Private security guards at Little Rock city facilities are set to see a pay increase of $4 an hour as a result of a resolution approved by the Little Rock Board of Directors during a meeting Tuesday evening.

The resolution was approved along with other items in a voice vote as part of the city board’s consent agenda.

The measure amends an earlier resolution from June 2020 that authorized the city manager to execute an annual contract with Quality Security Services, Inc. for security guard services.

That agreement set an hourly rate of $14.50 for unarmed guards and $16.50 for armed guards. Quality Security Services had requested that those rates be increased to $18.50 and $20.50, respectively, according to the text of the latest resolution.

The original resolution put the timeframe for the contract with Quality Security Services at one year, with two possible renewals of one year each. The annual cost was estimated to be $271,000.

A memo from the city manager’s office prepared for the meeting on Tuesday said that “this is the final year of the annual contract.”

“The vendor has requested an increase in the hourly rate in an effort to address paying their employees competitive wages and meeting the challenges of the economy to maximize coverage for each of their clients,” the memo said.

Meeting materials did not list a new estimated total value of the contract for security guard services in light of the pay boost, nor did they say how many guards are assigned to city buildings currently.