Oct 7, 2022
NEWTON FALLS — Seeking to help and retain police officers, village council approved pay increases for full- and part-time officers for the rest of this year.
Council voted 4-0 on Wednesday to raise full-time officers’ pay by $4 per hour and part-time officers’ pay by $2 per hour from October to Dec. 31. Council approved the motion as an emergency measure.
City Manager Pamela Priddy said the full-time sergeant’s pay will increase to $29.98 per hour, full-time police officers to $25.39 per hour and part-time police officers to $20.59 per hour.
Priddy said the pay increases will cost the village $9,480.
Finance Director Sean Housley said the police department in the past has been at five full-time officers. Now, he said the department is down two full-time officers.
Priddy said a full-time officer who was one of the two school resource officers for the Newton Falls school district resigned to accept another job.
Housley said village officials are waiting to see what happens with a 4-mill, five-year police levy on the November ballot. If approved by voters, it will generate $254,151 annually for the operation of the police department. The cost to the owner of a $100,000 home would be about $140 per year.
Priddy had provided different options for council to review for pay increases for officers ranging from $1 to $4 per hour for full-time and $1 to $2 per hour for part-time.
The police chief is a salaried employee and makes $72,300 per year.
POLICE LEVY
Second Ward Councilman John Baryak said he is concerned for the passage of the police levy. He said there needed to be a pay increase because officers can find other jobs that pay more.”We need to do what we can to save our police department,” he said.
First Ward Councilman Bud Fetterolf said the pay increases are what needed to be done now to help the department.
Councilwoman-at-Large Julie Stimpert said she is concerned the pay raises end Dec. 31 and then go back to what they were previously. She agreed it is important to retain officers.
Priddy said the officers protect the community and deserve a pay increase through the end of the year. “They deserve this,” she said.
Mayor Ken Kline said officials can wait and see what happens with the police levy and then see what may or may not be able to be done for 2023. He said a temporary measure is what can be done now.
Officials have said if the village does not have a police department the village will have to go with the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office. Kline said talks are continuing with Newton Township officials to possibly form a joint police district. A joint fire district already exists between the two communities.
RESIDENTS
Several residents at the meeting said council is using “scare tactics” on the police levy.
Resident Anna Eby said the charter requires the village to have a police department. “You can’t get rid of the police department. I am tired of the scare tactics with the police levy,” she said.
Resident Jamie Kline said the officers are leaving because they do not want to work under current department conditions.
Residents said when former police Chief Gene Fixler was terminated several officers and police staff also left.
The Trumbull County Common Pleas Court this week issued a judgment entry overturning Fixler’s firing by council in January.
Village council met in executive session on personnel matters following Wednesday’s meeting and took no action regarding Fixler.
Kline said officials are reviewing options and getting more information on the matter.
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