McKINNEY - McKinney police and firefighters now take home some of the highest salaries among public safety workers in the Dallas area.
And that's just how city leaders want it.
The City Council approved big raises this week to put the departments' pay scales on par with other North Texas cities, council members said.
The average raise will be about 15 percent. Everyone is guaranteed at least a 5 percent increase.
"It will place us in the position where we can attract and retain qualified officers," Police Chief Doug Kowalski said. "This is a competitive market."
City officials surveyed salaries in other North Texas cities with similar characteristics, and they found that McKinney had fallen behind over the past few years. Before the council approved the raises Tuesday night, McKinney ranked last among 12 cities surveyed.
After the increase, McKinney jumped to third place.
"One of the most important things we do is provide public safety," City Manager Larry Robinson said. "In recent months we discovered that we were falling behind in terms of compensation."
Council member Pete Huff said a similar survey several years ago showed that McKinney's salaries ranked high among other cities. But McKinney fell behind as neighboring communities upgraded salaries to attract officers and firefighters.
"It's not like we were asleep at the switch," Mr. Huff said. "A couple of years ago we were competitive. But the market took off."
A fast-growing city like McKinney, whose population has exceeded 104,000, needs a competitive pay plan to lure recruits and experienced officers to growing departments, Chief Kowalski said. The plan allows officers with experience to earn higher salaries than new recruits.
"It will translate into better service for the citizens," he said.
Under the new plan, a police officer and firefighter-paramedic would be paid a starting salary of $48,292. The 12-step salary plan tops out at $61,547. The old plan paid new officers and firefighters $39,355. The highest salary was $55,097. The raises will cost the city about $1 million this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. It will cost roughly $2 million in the next full fiscal year.
The new 12-step plan allows the employees to reach the top salary faster than they would have under the old system. Under the former scale, it took 12 years to reach the maximum salary. The new plan allows employees to skip a step based on high performance evaluations. A high achiever can reach the top in six years.
"Public safety is one of our core businesses, and the bottom line is, this plan will help us enhance our offerings in that area," said Mayor Bill Whitfield.
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