Lexington police will get another big raise — possibly making officers highest paid in KY
Lexington police officers will likely see a substantial pay increase under a proposal that got its first vote Tuesday.
The city and the union representing police officers have agreed to a $8,000 pay increase for officers and sergeants and a $3,000 increase for lieutenants, city officials announced during Tuesday’s Lexington Fayette Urban County Council work session.
The council voted to put the resolution upping pay on the council agenda. The resolution is schedule for a first reading Thursday. Also on Tuesday, the council agreed to increase pay across the board for E911 staff by $4,000.
The increase in pay is supposed to help the police department and E911 attract more employees. Both divisions have struggled with a high number of vacancies over the past two years.
Money for the pay raises will come from $26 million the council set aside for the pay increases from surplus funds earlier this year.
“I think this makes us the highest paid police department in the state,” said David Barberie, a lawyer for the city.
The city and the Fraternal Order of Police Bluegrass Lodge 4 inked a collective bargaining agreement in October 2021 that upped starting salaries and included substantial increases in pay for current officers.
It is estimated those pay increases will cost the city an additional $21.3 million over the life of the four-year contract.
Barberie said as part of the agreement to increase pay again, the union agreed to extend the contract to 2026.
That’s not the only pay bump police and other public safety divisions have received over the past two years.
Officers and other public safety employees received one-time bonuses for working during the coronavirus pandemic. In late August, the council also approved a second $4,000 bonus for current police, detention center and E911 employees. The city used $5 million from a city savings account for those bonuses
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said the city is also working with correction and fire unions to ink an agreement to also increase those employees’ pay.
Councilman David Kloiber, who ran unsuccessfully against Gorton on Nov. 8, questioned if upping pay would help recruit more officers. The department has more than 80 vacancies and more than 20 officers in the academy.
Kloiber noted that after the city raised pay the last few times, the department did not see a jump in recruits. Moreover, other police departments raised their pay after Lexington gave pay increases or other bonuses.
“We did not see a net increase,” Kloiber said. “Does this even make a difference?”
Kloiber also questioned why the department does not make it easier for current police officers in other cities to transfer to Lexington.
Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said the department takes transfers from other cities but still requires those officers to go through a shortened version of the academy. The city wants those officers to be trained by Lexington officers, Weathers said.
“Our training is far and beyond (other agencies),” Weathers said.
Weathers said other police agencies are in the state pension system. Lexington police and fire has its own pension system, which makes it more difficult for officers to transfer to Lexington.
The union and the city also agreed on a proposal that would allow the department to re-hire officers that left or retired. However, the city will have to pursue a change in state law come January to make that happen. The union has agreed to help the city lobby legislators in Frankfort for the change, Barberie said.
