Trafalgar’s police officers are some of the lowest-paid in the county, and the town council is weighing options for raising their salaries for 2023.
Trafalgar Police Chief Charles Roberts requested the town give $5,000 raises across the board for the department’s four full-time officers in his 2023 budget form.
Town council members, however, want to compromise with Roberts on lower raises for the officers within the town’s budget means.
Debate on police pay began at the town council’s Wednesday meeting, when the council discussed the salaries and insurance benefits for town employees.
The town pays 100% of its full-time employees’ benefits. There was debate on making the police department pay either 5% or 10% of their benefits for 2023, to allow the town to raise their pay.
Roberts had agreed on paying 10% of benefits, as long as officers received the $5,000 raise he requested. Jessica Jones, council president, wanted to compromise on 5%, still with a lower pay raise, Roberts said during the meeting.
Roberts argued that the Trafalgar Police Department is “way below” all the other departments in Johnson County. He cited that the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office raised pay by 7% for its 2023 budget, upping the lowest salary to $67,000.
A third class officer in Trafalgar, which is the lowest ranking above the probationary period, has a salary just over $45,000 at the moment, according to town documents. A first class officer salary in Trafalgar is just over $47,000.
Jones said that is not comparable because the sheriff’s office is much larger than the Trafalgar Police Department.
“I understand, but you have to look at the work the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office does, compared to the Trafalgar Police Department, and the size,” Jones said.
Roberts disagreed, and said the workload is the same, given the number of cases taken by the small number of Trafalgar police officers.
“We still have robberies here, we still have everything else,” Roberts said.
Roberts, like many police chiefs, is worried about retention, he said. He was not asking for Trafalgar police to make the same as sheriff’s deputies, but he wants to be comparable. Hardly any police officers in the county make below $50,000, he said.
All full-time Trafalgar officers, apart from Roberts, make less than $50,000 a year. By comparison, most police officers in towns in Johnson County of comparable size to Trafalgar make $50,000 or more.
Exceptions include Edinburgh, where three of eight full-time officers made between $40,000 and $49,000 in 2021, according to the most recent salary data available on Indiana Gateway. Prince’s Lakes also has one officer who made $47,000 in 2021.
In New Whiteland, the lowest officer salary was $53,000 last year. In Whiteland, the lowest salary last year was $59,000.
Roberts is also the lowest-paid police chief in Johnson County, with a current salary of $56,126, according to town documents. Last year, Prince’s Lakes Police Chief Greg Southers made $67,700; Edinburgh Police Chief Doyne Little made $64,000; Whiteland Police Chief Rick Shipp made $75,500; and New Whiteland Police Chief Joe Rynerson made $70,000.
In larger cities, Franklin Police Chief Kirby Cochran is set to make $93,300 next year, and Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison is set to make $97,000, according to each city’s respective 2023 budgets.
Roberts said during the council meeting that turnover is an issue in the police department, and it is more expensive to pay to hire someone new and train them, than to retain the officers they already have. He’s had officers in recent years leave to go work for the sheriff’s office or other agencies that pay more, he said.
“I know we’re a small town, I know that. But you’ve got to afford to live here,” Roberts said. “Right now, with the housing market, the economy. I mean, grocery stores have tripled or doubled the prices.”
The town council members during the meeting all said they recognize the need to raise police salaries, but also said the town does not have the means to give Roberts all of what he is asking right away.
“The goal is to retain you and your employees. I also have to think of the town. We’re bleeding money left and right in a lot of areas,” Jones said.
Council member Jeff Eisenmenger added he is “pro-police,” saying he has fought for the police department while on the council. He also said he believed the council has been good to the police department over the years.
“We’ve given several raises over the years. You guys used to make much, much less. I’m not saying that you’re where you need to be though,” Eisenmenger said. “I’m not opposed to getting a raise, but we’ve fought hard to retain folks.”
Eisenmenger then asked Roberts why he chose to stay on the Trafalgar Police Department for so long, since 2006. He asked if it was because the council has given raises and benefits over the years.
Roberts said no, and the main reason he’s stayed for 16 years is personal, not for the pay. He added it is difficult to retain most officers for more than three years now.
“I’ve stayed because it’s personal, the small town. My mom lives in town, and it’s a great place to raise a family,” Roberts said.
Jones, at the end of the salary discussion, said she would meet with Roberts to agree on a compromise. The town council is set to vote on the town’s 2023 salary ordinance at its next meeting on Nov. 17.
