Area law enforcement starting hourly wages (with no experience)
Lebanon: $26.39
Oxford: $26.31
West Chester Twp.: $26.11
Springboro: $25.65
Warren County Sheriff: $25.54
Middletown: $24.03
Fairfield: $23.82
Miami University Police: $23.65
Butler County Sheriff: $23.10
Fairfield Twp.: $22.28
Hamilton: $22.25
Franklin: $22.04
Trenton: $21.31
State Wildlife Officer: $21.12
Monroe: $20.05
State Park/Watercraft Officers: $19.38
Ohio Highway Patrol: $18.66
Germantown: $16.91
Oxford Twp.: $16.50
Ross Twp.: $16.50 (all officers are part-time)
MetroParks of Butler County: $16.35 (all officers are part-time)
Carlisle: $16.07
Note: These amounts are the pay range starting point and amounts may be higher depending on experience, etc. The amounts excludes benefits.
SOURCE: Area law enforcement agencies
Carlisle Village Council could cut one full-time police officer — going from seven to six — eliminate a part-time sergeant and use that money to increase police wages by 20 percent.
The goal would be to make pay more competitive with other area law enforcement agencies.
Of the 22 area local law enforcement agencies in Butler and Warren counties, the Carlisle police department has the next to lowest starting hourly wage. The average starting wage in the area is $21.22 an hour, about 25 percent more than Carlisle's starting wage of $16.07 an hour. Only Cincinnati State Community College, which has a Middletown campus, has the lowest starting wage for an entry level police officer at $16 an hour. Also, many area police departments start officers who make a lateral transfer at a higher step in their pay structures than those who come in fresh out of a police academy.
Carlisle has been struggling to maintain its police department and has attempted to pass a pair of ballot issues to raise the municipal income tax to raise revenues, which were both defeated at the polls.
Village Manager Sherry Callahan said the low pay makes it difficult to recruit and retain officers after they gain some street experience and leave for better opportunities, both in pay and career advancement.
In the past two months, Carlisle has lost two officers to other local departments. Police Chief Michael Bruck recently said Dayton, Springboro, Franklin, Monroe and Blue Ash are among some of the places where Carlisle officers went for better pay and opportunities.
“If we keep doing what we are doing, we’re going to get the same results,” Callahan said. “If we could do this immediately, it will help us to compete.”
She also said an improving area economy makes it more difficult to recruit with a less than competitive wage. Callahan said of the 13 people who took the civil service test to become a police officer, only six applicants were able to pass the written and agility tests recently.
At Tuesday’s council work session, Callahan presented eight options to council. However, council members are not happy that the police force will be stretched and said at some point more revenues need to be found, either through a tax issue on the ballot or a reduction in income tax reciprocity for residents.
Councilman Brad McIntosh, Mayor Randy Winkler and Councilman James Lickliter supported reducing the police department by one full-time officer and one part-time sergeant. That would free up funding to increase wages by 20 percent for police and 7 percent for nonunion employees.
“In my opinion, we can’t stay at seven officers with a 20 percent increase,” McIntosh said. “I don’t think it’s an option.”
He said going to six officers is the level of service the village could provide consistently as there usually a vacant position open.
Both Lickliter and Winkler raised concerns about having fewer officers. Winkler would like to have eight full-time officers on duty, but that would require a new revenue source.
“We have to consider running the levy again or not,” he said. “We have to protect the city. We don’t want crime coming into the village… Our backs are against the wall and we need to let them know that.”
While supportive of raising police wages, Councilman Randy Jewett said he was not for the 7 percent raise for other village wages. He said he did not like the appearance of saying the village needs additional revenues but wants to raise wages, saying it could send the wrong message to the community.
Council will consider the option as well as a merit raise program for 2017 at its Feb. 23 meeting.
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