Item No. 8
Town of Atherton
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT – REGULAR AGENDA
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
GEORGE RODERICKS, CITY MANAGER
FROM: STEVE McCULLEY, CHIEF OF POLICE
DATE: NOVEMBER 19, 2025
SUBJECT: ADOPT A RESOLUTION AUTHORING AN HOURLY WAGE
RATE INCREASE FOR PER DIEM DISPATCHERS
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached Resolution approving an increase in the hourly wage for Per Diem Police Dispatchers from $59.39 to $65.00 per hour, effective December 1, 2025, to assist with recruitment and retention efforts and to remain competitive with surrounding law enforcement agencies.
BACKGROUND
The Police Department relies on Per Diem Dispatchers to provide critical support in the Town’s Communications Center. These dispatchers are essential to maintaining adequate staffing levels, ensuring timely responses to emergency and non-emergency calls, and providing relief coverage during periods of full-time staff absences, vacations, and training. In recent years, recruitment and retention of qualified dispatch personnel has become increasingly difficult. Many neighboring jurisdictions have increased their dispatcher compensation to attract and retain skilled staff, resulting in a competitive disadvantage for our department.
ANALYSIS
A fulltime Dispatcher/Records Assistant position with the Town (at top stop) is a salaried position at $123,535.92 per year. The hourly rate for this position at that top step is $59.39. When the Town engages a per diem dispatcher to fill a short-term vacancy due to vacation, training, or other absences, the Town pays that per diem dispatcher at the same hourly rate as the fulltime dispatcher at top step. Per diem dispatchers do not receive benefits from the Town.
If the Town is unable to engage a per diem dispatcher, a fulltime dispatcher must be called in to fill the shift at their overtime rate ($89.09 – time and a half).
Request for an increase to the hourly wage rate for per diem dispatchers November 19, 2025
A survey of comparable local agencies (see Table 1 below) indicates that the Town’s current per diem hourly rate is below the regional average.
Atherton PD $59.39
Belmont PD $64.74
Campbell PD $63.42
Colma PD $61.13
Foster City PD $61.77
Hillsborough PD $55.00
Los Altos PD $80.48
Los Gatos/Monte Sereno PD $64.99
Menlo Park PD $68.92
Palo Alto PD $71.38
Redwood City PD $80.00
San Mateo PD $58.96
San Mateo County Public Safety
Dispatch
$53.68 - $67.09
South San Francisco PD $52.79
AVERAGE (Excluding Atherton) $65.44
Increasing the hourly rate will allow the department to remain competitive in the regional labor market and improve the ability to attract qualified per diem applicants to fill short term vacancies.
POLICY FOCUS
The policy focus for the Council with this issue is aligning the Town’s per diem dispatcher pay rate more closely with the regional average to enhance the Town’s ability to attract and retain per diem dispatchers willing to fill in for shifts at the Atherton PD. Absent a pay rate that is more consistent with the regional average, the Town is not as able to attract per diem dispatchers willing to fill shifts and the Town must backfill those shifts with fulltime dispatchers at the overtime rate.
GOAL ALIGNMENT
Goal F - Be Forward Thinking,Well Managed, Well Planned Town
FISCAL IMPACT
This will result in a positive fiscal impact as the use of per diem dispatchers, even at the higher rate, is still a lower cost than using fulltime dispatchers at an overtime rate.
Request for an increase to the hourly wage rate for per diem dispatchers November 19, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICE
Public notification was achieved by posting the agenda, with this agenda item being listed, at least 72 hours prior to the meeting in print and electronically. Information about the project is also disseminated via the Town’s electronic News Flash and Atherton Online. There are approximately 1,200 subscribers to the Town’s electronic News Flash publications. Subscribers include residents as well as stakeholders – to include, but be not limited to, media outlets, school districts, Menlo Park Fire District, service provides (water, power, and sewer), and regional elected officials.
COMMISSION/COMMITTEE FEEDBACK/REFERRAL
This item ____ has or __X___ has not been before a Town Committee or Commission.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution Adjusting the Pay Rate for Per Diem Dispatchers