Simi Valley cops get 7 percent pay hike
Raise to cost city extra $1.35 million
Simi Valley police officers will see a 7.05 percent raise in total pay in their December paychecks as part of a contract negotiated four years ago, the city announced last week. The starting base pay for a sworn officer in Simi Valley who has completed the police academy is now $60,424.
City Manager Mike Sedell said there's no question the raise, which includes salary and benefits, comes at a bad time financially for the city. But, he said, Simi must meet its contractual obligations.
He added that the City Council values the police department and recognizes that it must stay competitive in order to retain trained officers and bring in new ones.
"We want to be able to bring in the best and most highly qualified officers that we can because that's what this community deserves," Sedell said. "And to attract that, you need to have a competitive salary and benefits structure."
Police Chief Mike Lewis also defended the pay increase.
"If you were constantly having a turnover in officers, it works against you," he said. "By keeping a very highly skilled work force, I think we are doing the very best with the money the city gives us to compensate our officers."
The raise will cost the city $1.35 million, for which about $1.1 million was budgeted in June.
Dan Paranick, assistant city manager, said any additional revenue or salary savings that exist in the budget will have to cover the the $250,000 increase in payroll.
But with city revenues down 18 percent in the first quarter and cutbacks already on the horizon, those savings might be hard to find. Which is why more cuts might be needed to handle the additional cost of the raise, Paranick said.
Altogether, 115 sworn officers will receive the pay and benefits hike. The raise does not apply to management level officers, including lieutenants, captains and the chief. The raise will go into effect retroactively from June 23, 2008 to June 23, 2009.
This is the fourth year of a fouryear agreement that was negotiated between the city and the Simi Valley Police Officers' Association in 2005.
As part of the contract, the city surveyed 12 agencies-which were chosen because they are local and/or comparable in size- to determine fair pay. Sedell said the raise was calculated by taking the average of those agencies and adding 4 percent.
This year's raise is the largest the Simi police have received during the fouryear contract. Officers received a 3 percent raise in 2005, a 5 percent raise in 2006 and a 5.5 percent raise last year.
Since the contract expires July 1, the city and the police officers' association will negotiate a new agreement in the spring. Mayor Paul Miller said he expects that negotiation to be more difficult than in years past as it will be much tougher for the city to balance what it can afford while maintaining the quality of the department.
"I am not looking toward a rich package," Miller said.
Lewis agreed, adding that next year may be a "zero-growth year."
He said that while the city typically favors multiyear contracts with its labor organizations, he is not sure that will be possible next year because of the uncertain economy.
"It's just tough times right now. It's hard to say what's fair, what should a raise be, should there be any raise at all?" Lewis said. "But at the same time, (this year's) decision was made four years ago."
Overall, Lewis said Simi is one of the highest-paid departments in the county along with Oxnard, Port Hueneme and the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. But for Lewis and Miller, the former chief of police, it is important to reward the officers for the work they do. "They perform a vital job for the city and we want to be able to hire the best we can find," Miller said. "Even though Simi is one of the safest cities, crime happens here and we want to keep a lid on it."
Simi residents Al and Nan Kay believe that Simi police work hard for their money and the couple has no problem with the community's cops getting a raise.
"I think it's great," Al Kay, 42, said. "They deserve all the money. They do a good job."
Denise Rusiecki, 62, had mixed feelings though.
"I realize we need them but these are tight times," said Rusiecki, who has lived in Simi for 35 years. "It's tough justifying them getting raises when there are people that can't afford to buy food and are losing their homes. It's a tough call."
