Police, fire department pay raises headed to voters

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A proposal for a one-quarter cent sales tax to fund pay raises for Eunice police and fire department employees is headed to voters at a special election scheduled May 4.
The Eunice Board of Aldermen approved a resolution calling for the election at special meeting on Wednesday.
Eunice Mayor Scott Fontenot on Friday said the quarter-cent tax is projected to raise about $565,000.
The final numbers are not in, but Fontenot said the starting police pay will be raised about $3 an hour from the current $9.75 an hour. Starting firefighter pay will be raised from $9 an hour to $11 hour if the tax passes, he said.
All employees in the two departments will get a pay raise if the tax passes, he said. Those raises will vary depending on longevity and duties, he said.
Police pay has long been an issue in Eunice where the pay scale starts lower than surrounding departments.
The Eunice Police Officer’s Association’s study shows has the Eunice starting pay at $21,294. Carencro has the highest starting police pay at $40,404, followed by Scott at $40,294,80. Starting pay at other area police department is: $24,963.12 at Opelousas; $24,024 at Church Point; $26,710.32 at Iota; and $25,137.84 at Crowley.
An association information sheet states there have been two pay raises for Eunice Police in the past 21 years — in 1998 and 2009. The pay raise in 2009 ranged from 5 cents to $1.25 an hour based on rank.
“Unfortunately, in 2009 the minimum wage went up as well and washed out the raise the department received the same year,” the association stated.
Eunice Police Chief Randy Fontenot often cites pay as an issue in recruiting.
The department has four openings for police officers and two for jailers, he said.
The department’s budget calls for 32 police officers, five jailers, four dispatchers, four record clerks; one secretary; and the chief, he said.
“It is very important so we can attract qualified applicants and keep staff,” he said.
A study four years ago found the department lost about 300 years of experience as officers left for other jobs.
Fire Chief Mike Arnold said his department has 19 employees, which includes the chief, nine firefighter-operators and nine captains.
Police and firefighters gain certification upon successfully passing about three months of training. With the certification and a year of experience, police and firefighters receive a $500 a month stipend from the state.