KC Council pledges to collaborate with police on fair pay package

The Kansas City Council unanimously approved a five-year financial plan Thursday that includes a pledge to collaborate with police on a fair pay package, alleviating some fears that police would be treated differently from city employees.

“We need to do everything we can to help our Police Department,” Councilwoman Heather Hall said, noting that the Kansas City public gives high priority to public safety, and the city needs to value its police officers to accomplish that goal.

Earlier this week, Police Chief Darryl Forté and the Fraternal Order of Police had raised concerns that the five-year plan assumed 2 percent “wage” growth for police, while firefighters and other union city employees have recently gotten pay packages with raises of 2.5 percent or more per year.

The plan approved Thursday changed the assumption to 2 percent “budget” growth yearly for the Police Department, not wage growth. City Manager Troy Schulte said that increasing the $240 million police budget by 2 percent each year should include sufficient money to give many officers more than a 2 percent raise.

Sgt. Brad Lemon, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 99, said Thursday that this week’s discussion has been somewhat reassuring to his organization, which includes 1,300 police officers and 500 civilians. He thanked Mayor Sly James and the City Council for the positive dialogue this week and said it “gives officers some peace.”

The current pay package expires April 30, so Lemon said negotiations need to start soon on a new pay agreement. But Kansas City is unique in the country, in that Kansas City police officers work for a state agency, not the city. So the pay is negotiated with an independent Board of Police Commissioners, not the city manager and City Council. The city simply funds the Police Department and has no direct oversight over how that money is spent.

But the five-year plan includes language that the City Council “pledges to collaborate with the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners on a long-term financial plan that considers staffing ratios in all patrol divisions as well as salary adjustments and other compensation commensurate with experience, length of services and cost of living.”

Councilman Scott Wagner, chairman of the finance committee, reminded his colleagues that the city still faces severe budget constraints, including a projected $12 million deficit this fiscal year. It’s not yet clear how the city will address that deficit, but it could include layoffs of non-public safety employees while police are seeking more generous pay.

“We have to live within our means, as best we can,” Wagner said.

This story was originally published October 27, 2016 at 6:02 PM with the headline "KC Council pledges to collaborate with police on fair pay package."