Without discussion Tuesday, the city council unanimously approved changes to the fire and police pay scales that raises the hourly rate for several positions and adds holiday pay on top of that.
A burst of crowd applause from the municipal courtroom lasted longer than the perfunctory motions and vote.
The new pay scale for the police department ranges from $2,576.16 in additional annual pay for entry level patrolmen to $3,814.56 more for lieutenants. In the fire department, additional pay ranges from $1,941.12 for entry-level firefighters to $2,874.24 for battalion chiefs.
Changes are effective Aug. 1.
Salaried personnel in those departments, or those paid based on 40-hour work weeks, don’t qualify for additional pay in the plan.
“This is going to be a big morale booster,” Police Chief Joseph Daughtry told The Dispatch after the meeting. “… With this slight increase, it will allow us to be more compatible against other agencies. I’m thankful.”
With the old pay scale, 144 holiday hours were included in the total annual hours for certain positions in those departments, Human Resources Manager Pat Mitchell said. That resulted in a lower hourly rate.
For example, in the police department, a patrol officer had been paid $16.81 per hour over 2,380 work hours, for annual pay of about $40,000. Under the new plan, that officer would earn $17.89 per hour over 2,236 annual work hours, as well as an additional $2,576.16 for paid holidays – annual pay of $42,576.16, not counting overtime.
Same in the fire department, where an entry level firefighter made $12.87 over 3,177.5 work hours for annual pay of $40,903.88. Under the new plan, that firefighter will earn $13.48 per hour over 3,033.33 annual hours, along with an extra $1,941.12 for holidays, for total pay of $42,845 per year not counting overtime.
Fire Chief Duane Hughes also expressed his appreciation, noting CFR will need all the help it can get keeping firefighters as more industry pours into the area, especially the $2 billion Aluminum Dynamics plant under construction in Lowndes County that will bring jobs with an average of $93,000 per year.
“It offers an opportunity for the pay structure in Columbus to become competitive with other (area) departments,” Hughes said. “We’re at a time right now where trying to get new firefighters is getting increasingly difficult. I have a fear that when this new aluminum mill opens, it’s going to be even more difficult.”
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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