Agenda Item No. 6
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council DATE: May 22, 2023 FROM: Matthew Bronson, City Manager
PREPARED BY: John Peters, Chief of Police
Karla Mattocks, Management Analyst / Human Resources
SUBJECT: Amendments to the Police Officer Trainee Compensation Plan and the Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt the Resolution amending the Compensation Plan for the Police Officer Trainee Position and amending the Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program.
BACKGROUND
On November 2, 2015, City Council adopted Resolution 15-65 establishing the Police Officer Trainee position to attract qualified candidates to become Police Officers. Since that time, the City has successfully sponsored five candidates through the Police Academy. On June 6, 2016, City Council adopted Resolution 16-46 establishing a Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program. The program offered a $5,000 incremental hiring incentive to attract lateral and academy graduate police officers to City employment since the Police Department was still experiencing multiple vacancies. This resulted in hiring five qualified candidates for Police Officer over the following two years but did not fill all police officer vacancies during that time.
In June 2018, the Police Department was experiencing a 20% vacancy rate in the Police Officer rank due to retirements, disability retirements and normal attrition. On June 19, 2018, City Council adopted Resolution 18-53 increasing the Police Officer Trainee compensation to a competitive rate in line with other local police departments. The Resolution also enhanced the Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program from an incremental $5,000 to an incremental $10,000 with an additional $1,000 for prior honorable military service. This resulted in the hiring of six new police officers.
On August 19, 2019, City Council adopted Resolution 19-43 which lowered the Lateral Police Officer probationary period from an extended 18 months to the police department standard of 12 months.
Since 2020, police departments across the nation have had difficulty in recruiting and retaining police officers. Locally, that same difficulty is being felt by all law enforcement agencies in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. Since 2021, the Grover Beach Police Department has experienced 7 retirements, 1 termination and 1 resignation of sworn officers. Currently the Police Department has 5 Police Officer vacancies and is preparing for a 6th vacancy due to an impending disability retirement. The Police Department also has two officers out on long term injury and unpaid leave status. This amounts to a 25% vacancy rate for sworn staff.
Staff Report: Amendments to Police Trainee and Hiring Incentive Programs May 22, 2023
Staff, in consultation with other local agencies, has determined that police officers are not laterally transferring to other departments as readily as they have in the past. There are many factors involved, but for the San Luis Obispo County area it has to do with the high cost of living and in particular, the cost of housing. Staff has been concentrating recent recruitments on Police Officer Trainees that are either in the police academy or qualified candidates that we can send to the police academy. In recent recruitment trips to various police academies, staff has found interested candidates but has also received questions regarding the cost of relocating and finding housing in or near the city.
To maintain competitiveness in our recruiting efforts, staff is proposing an amendment to the salary rate for Police Officer Trainee from the current $5,544 per month to $6,691 per month, which is the starting step for Police Officer (Exhibit A). Police Officer Trainees would stay at this salary rate for their entire time in the police academy and for at least the first six months of employment as a Police Officer. The Police Officer Trainee classification would maintain the same salary as the starting step police officer for future compensation adjustments.
Staff also recommends amending the Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program to include a relocation incentive of up to $5,000 for Police Officer Trainee and all sworn positions in the police department. The proposed Relocation Incentive language to be added to the Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program is shown below along with a proposed addition of an incentive for prior certifications:
Relocation Incentive
Police Officer Trainee
Appointed Police Officer Trainees who reside 100 miles or more away from Grover Beach, may be eligible for a Relocation Incentive after graduation from a California POST Basic Police Academy and appointment to the position of Police Officer with the City. To be eligible for a Relocation Incentive, the Police Officer Trainee must relocate to within a 30-minute response time to the City of Grover Beach. This response time is generally consistent with the distance between Atascadero and Orcutt. The Relocation Incentive provides up to $5,000 for reimbursement of relocation expenses approved by the City Manager. Relocation expenses may include, but are not limited to, first and last month’s rent, security deposit, pet deposit, moving vehicle rentals, packaging supplies, moving company temporary storage containers, storage facility rental, and hotel expenses. Receipts for all reimbursable expenses must be submitted to the City Manager for consideration and approval.
Sworn Employee
New employees appointed to Sworn positions with the Grover Beach Police Department and reside 100 miles or more away from Grover Beach may be eligible for a Relocation Incentive after appointment. To be eligible for a Relocation Incentive, the Sworn Employee must relocate to within a 30-minute response time to Grover Beach. This response time is generally consistent with the area between Atascadero and Orcutt. The Relocation Incentive is up to $5,000 for reimbursement of relocation expenses post-approved by the City Manager. Relocation expenses may include, but are not limited to, first and last month’s rent, security deposit, pet deposit, moving vehicle rentals, packaging supplies, moving company temporary storage containers, storage facility rental, and hotel expenses. Receipts for all reimbursable expenses must be submitted to the City Manager for consideration and approval.
Staff Report: Amendments to Police Trainee and Hiring Incentive Programs May 22, 2023
Lateral Police Officer candidates who are certified and hold a valid Instructor Certification in an approved California Peace Officer Standards and Training course and who are appointed to a Police Officer or Police Sergeant position with the Grover Beach Police Department, will, upon completion of the Field Training Program, be eligible for an Instructor Certificate cash incentive of $500 for each valid certification. The approved courses are:
• Academy Instructor Active Shooter
• Arrest and Control Baton/Impact Weapons
• Chemical Agent Defensive Tactics
• Driver Training Firearms (Pistol/Rifle/Shotgun)
• First Aid/CPR/AED IDI-Leadership/Mentoring
• Instructor Development Less Lethal (Taser/Kinetic)
FISCAL IMPACT
The estimated cost will vary based on the actual usage of these incentives. There would be no overall fiscal impact as these programs would be funded in the City’s operating budget through salary savings from vacant positions. The incentives would only be used as vacancies were available.
ALTERNATIVES
The City Council has the following alternatives to consider:
1. Adopt the Resolution amending the Compensation Plan for the Police Officer Trainee Position and amending the Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program; or
2. Provide staff with alternative direction.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
The agenda was posted in accordance with the Brown Act.
Attachments
1. Resolution No. 23-__ amending the Compensation Plan for the job class of Police Officer Trainee (Exhibit A – Salary Ranges) and amending the Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program.
2. Resolution No. 19-43.
Attachment 1
RESOLUTION NO. 23-
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GROVER BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 02-73 AMENDING THE
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPENSATION PLAN FOR POLICE OFFICER TRAINEE AND AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 19-43 AMENDING THE POLICE
OFFICER HIRING INCENTIVE PROGRAM
WHEREAS, in 2015 and 2016, the City Council adopted Resolution Nos. 15-65 and 16- 46 to establish a Police Officer Trainee Program and a Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program to help attract qualified police officer candidates to the Police Department; and WHEREAS, in 2018 the City Council adopted Resolution No. 18-53 amending Resolutions 15-65 and 16-46 to increase the benefits to the Police Officer Trainee Program and the Police Officer Hiring Incentive Programs; and
WHEREAS, in 2019, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 19-43 amending the 18- month probationary time for Lateral Police Officers to a 12-month probationary period which was consistent with industry standards; and
WHEREAS, the proposed amendment to the Compensation and Classification Plan would amend the monthly salary of the Police Officer Trainee classification to be the same, now and into the future, with the starting step of the Police Officer classification (Exhibit A); and WHEREAS, the first proposed amendment to the Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program would create an up to $5,000 Relocation Incentive for Academy Graduate and Lateral Police Officers that live more than 100 miles away from the city and whom move to within a 30 minute response time to the City of Grover Beach for City Manager post-approved expenses that may include, but are not limited to, first and last month’s rent, security deposit, pet deposit, moving vehicle rentals, packaging supplies, moving company temporary storage containers, storage facility rental, and hotel expenses; and
WHEREAS, the second proposed amendment to the Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program would create a $500 Instructor Certification Incentive for each valid instructor certification that a Lateral Police Officer or Police Sergeant candidate who, upon appointment to such position with the City of Grover Beach, holds a valid Instructor Certification from an approved California Peace Officer Standards and Training course of Academy Instructor, Active Shooter, Arrest and Control, Baton/Impact Weapons, Chemical Agent, Defensive Tactics, Driver Training, Firearms (Pistol/Rifle/Shotgun), First Aid/CPR/AED, IDI-Leadership and Mentoring, Instructor Development and Less Lethal (Taser/Kinetic); and
WHEREAS, funding for the Hiring Incentive Program would be subject to current budgetary funds available in the City’s operation budget.
Resolution No. 23- Page 2
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Grover Beach does hereby authorize the amending of the Compensation and Classification Plan for Police Officer Trainee and the amending of the Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program.
On motion by ___________, second by ____________, and on the following roll call vote, to wit:
AYES: Council Members:
NOES: Council Members:
ABSENT: Council Members:
ABSTAIN: Council Members:
the foregoing Resolution was PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED at the Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Grover Beach, California, this 22nd day of May, 2023. ** D R A F T **
___________________________
KAREN BRIGHT, MAYOR
ATTEST:
______________________________
WENDI SIMS, CITY CLERK
Exhibit A
City of Grover Beach
STAFFING DETAIL & SALARY SCHEDULE
Compensation Plan – Police Officer Trainee
Current Salary Schedule:
Section 5 – Hourly/Part-Time/Miscellaneous Classes
Police Officer Trainee (F/T) (monthly) 5544
Proposed Salary Schedule:
Section 5 – Hourly/Part-Time/Miscellaneous Classes
Police Officer Trainee (F/T) (monthly) 6691
RESOLUTION NO. 19-43
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GROVER BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING RESOLUTION N0.18-53 AMENDING THE POLICE OFFICER
HIRING INCENTIVE PROGRAM
WHEREAS, in 2015 and 2016, the City Council adopted Resolution Nos. 15-65 and 16-46 to establish a Police Officer Trainee Program and a Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program to help attract qualified police officer candidates to the Police Department; and WHEREAS, in 2018 the City Council adopted Resolution No. 18-53 amending Resolutions 15-65 and 16-46 to increase the benefits to the Police Officer Trainee Program and the Police Officer Hiring Incentive Programs; and
WHEREAS, in July 2019, the Police Department's Lateral Police Officer Probationary Time Period was changed from 18 months to 12 months; and
WHEREAS, the proposed adjustment to the Lateral Police Officer portion of the Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program to remove the wording "18 month" would make the Grover Beach programs more attractive to Lateral Police Officer applicants:
An incremental Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) incentive for all Lateral Police Officers who are currently employed as a peace officer in the state of California with a minimum of two years and possess a California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Basic Certificate; or formerly employed as a California Peace Officer for a minimum of two years and possess a California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Basic Certificate and who has not had more than a three year break in service as a California peace officer payable as follows: $5,000 upon hire, $1,000 upon successful completion of the Field Training Program, $1,000 upon successful completion of the 18 month Probationary Period, $3,000 upon completion of 24 months of continuous service with the City and credited with 96 hours of sick leave and 40 hours of vacation leave upon hire; and WHEREAS, funding for the Hiring Incentive Programs for Police Officers would be subject to current budgetary funds available in the City's operation budget.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Grover Beach does hereby authorize the amending of the Police Officer Hiring Incentive Program for Police Officers.
On motion by Council Member Bright, second by Council Member Lance, and on the following roll call vote, to wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
Council Members: - Bright, Lance, Nicolls, Mayor Pro Tern Shah, and Mayor Lee
CouncilMembera:-None
CouncilMembera:-None
Council Members: - None
Attachment 2
Resolution No. 19-43
the foregoing Resolution was PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED at the Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Grover Beach, -california, this 19th day of August 2019.
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