Winston-Salem City Council is looking at a proposal to raise starting pay for police officers and firefighters. A recent study shows some of them are making ten percent less than the average pay in the Triad.The council is considering a 7.5 percent salary increase as one way to close the pay gao. .
Another option would be supplemental increases for those with more than a year of experience. The goal is to recruit and keep more qualified people in the city's police and fire departments.
Carmen Caruth, the city's human resources director, told council this week that the pay raises could cost between $1.2 and $2.3 million, depending on what was given for the supplemental pay.
If approved, the salary increases could start early next year.
There's one bright spot in the city's study. It found that police sergeants, lieutenants and captains in Winston-Salem make better pay than their peers in other Triad cities. This also applied to fire engineers, captains, and battalion chiefs.
Follow Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news
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