All officers with the Oakwood Police Department will see an increase in pay starting Aug. 1.
Oakwood commissioners voted unanimously for pay raises at their meeting on Friday, which would increase salaries by 10 percent – or to an hourly rate of $20.41.
Alternatively, if an officer has a pay below $44,607, their new salary would be boosted to that number. This amount depends on an officer’s position, but they will be paid whichever amount is greater.
When combined with the value of the benefit plan, officers will receive around $63,000 to $64,000.
Prior to the change, starting officer pay in the Oakwood Police Department was $16.21 per hour, or $35,402 annually.
City manager B.R. White said the increase in pay is essential to have a competitive salary range.
“What we're finding out is we can't be competitive to get people to consider working for us, unless we can come up to where other police departments are in the region,” White said. “And right now we're roughly $4 an hour lower than what the other police departments are.”
White said the city offered a competitive benefit package in comparison to other police departments, but since then these departments have stepped up to offer even better packages.
The Oakwood Police Department ranked below other agencies, such as the Flowery Branch Police Department, the Lawrenceville Police Department and the Gainesville Police Department.
The city currently offers officers 100 percent city-paid health insurance and a pension plan.
“Nowadays, there are departments that are offering a $5,000 signing bonus,” White said. “There’s a department that’s offering a $10,000 signing bonus paid over three years.”
The City of Oakwood has had staffing issues in its police department for the past few months. Authorities with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office have had to step in and assist Oakwood officers with overnight shifts.
“If we can get one or two more officers on board, we'll be able to take back over night patrols,” White said.
The Oakwood Police Department currently has 10 officers.
Mayor Lamar Scroggs also suggested creating more affordable housing options within the city to attract more officers.
“The world’s changed,” Scoggs said. “It is more expensive to live now than it ever has been. And we all got to come together in whatever kind of way we can to traverse this and retain the good quality of people that we need.”
