TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa Fraternal Order of Police and Mayor GT Bynum have come to a contractual agreement that would offer Tulsa officers a significant pay increase immediately.
According to Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 93 President Jeff Downs, under the contract, new officers would see a pay raise of nearly $9000. That’s about an 18% increase bringing starting pay from around $49,000 up to $58,000. The maximum annual salary for officers would increase by about 8%, from around $73,000 to around $79,000.
Sergeants, Lieutenants, Captains, Majors and Deputy Chiefs would also receive raises. The chief, who is not subject to the collective bargaining process, would keep his current salary.
Currently, Mayor Bynum’s 2022 city budget includes $122.7 million for the Tulsa Police Department. The new agreement would cost the city an estimated $8.3 million more. The Mayor’s office says the money would come from the general fund and public safety tax fund’s “undesignated fund balance”.
It would not pull money from other departments or raise taxes. Downs hopes this will help with the recruiting and retention issue the department has been facing.
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“We are behind what we consider a fair market wage. With this offer, the mayor made it a priority to focus on police pay this year because of the staffing crisis,” Downs said in an interview with FOX23.
Downs says the contract is a step in the right direction. The $58,000 for new Tulsa Police officers, who are required to have a bachelor’s degree, would bypass Broken Arrow Police, which currently offers its new officers $56,720.
Mayor Bynum addressed the contract on Facebook saying in part, “The Tulsa Police Department is the best in America. Best officers. Highest standards. Best Chief. But if we want to keep it that way, we have to be able to recruit the best new officers and keep our talented senior officers. And that means a competitive wage.”
Additionally, he announced earlier this week that he plans to use money from the American Rescue Plan to give bonuses not only to police officers, but other city employees in the coming months. He says the $9.7 million would help him to give employees a 4% retention bonus at the end of the year. This money, according to Downs, would also offer newly hired Tulsa Police officers at $3,000 signing bonus.
City council will vote on both the proposed police contract, and the bonus money on August 11th.
Long-term, the mayor announced plans to ask Tulsa residents to vote on a property tax adjustment to help stabilize public safety funding. That vote is planned for next August.
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