On Aug. 7, Boulder City Council voted unanimously to give Boulder police a 4% salary increase instead of the 6% increase that the Boulder Police Officers Association (BPOA) says was supported by a neutral arbitrator.
“Our last best offer was a 6% salary increase which keeps us within the bottom half of our comparable agencies but would show good faith from City leadership as we work to become more competitive,” the association said in an Aug. 12 statement. “The City offered 4%, along with a last- minute addition to remove healthcare protection language … that has been in place for years.”
“When impasse was declared, both sides agreed on a neutral arbitrator. That arbitrator ruled in favor of the BPOA. Even so, on August 7th, City Council ignored this decision.”
Councilmembers discussed the decision in a private executive session before returning to chambers to vote. Several cited the city’s constrained financial situation — an anticipated $8 to $10 million budget shortfall and a citywide hiring freeze — when explaining their decision.
“I, like I believe a number of members of this council, would like to give maximum raises to our first responders, particularly the police,” Councilmember Mark Wallach said. “But we are in a very constrained economic environment, which is becoming clearer by the day, and as a consequence, going beyond [4%] is simply not tenable for the city at this time.”
The city reports slowing sales and use tax revenue with uncertainty around the future of federal funding, forcing tough trade-offs.
“I’ve historically been very supportive of our police, and I continue to be, they do an amazing job,” Councilmember Tara Winer said. “But we have to keep in mind that first of all, 4% is a raise, and we are an extremely fiscally constrained environment, and we have to do what is fiscally responsible.”
The BPOA called this “empty praise.”
“This decision was made just over two months after the terrorist attack on Pearl Street and has sent a damaging message to the officers who risk their lives every day responding to the needs of our community,” their statement read. “When our officers feel unsupported, recruitment slows, retention suffers, and the safety of our community is put at risk.”
Give them subsidized housing if they can’t afford a decent life in Boulder. That should help. Make an exception for them. But first the city would need to build affordable housing people actually want to live in instead of these increasingly smaller and poorly designed boxes. But I’m thinking their job will get a whole lot easier once all those homeless people are diverted out of the city per the new city plan.
At least the city made the attempt to pass on some money, however, these officers need a way to afford to live in the area. I hope the city might value its officers. We’ve had a mass shooting a few years ago plus the most recent act where an Egyptian party threw flammable liquids on people doing a peaceful protest.
These officers deserve a raise as a reward for dealing with these folks. It is tough in a economic downturn but they should pay to keep the city safer.