Police to Get 11.5% Pay Hike Over 2 Years

Ending a long, often-bitter dispute, the City Council has approved an 11.5% pay increase for police officers over the next two years.

The city’s new contract with the Ventura Police Officers Assn. will bring salaries in line with other officers statewide, officials said.

It calls for a 6% increase this year, a 3% boost next year, and a 2.5% increase in January 1999.

Monday’s vote to support the new 28-month contract came after 15 meetings over six months. Many terms remain unchanged from the earlier contract. But there are several important revisions.

First, salary increases in 1997 and 1998 are aimed at moving the wages toward the middle of the labor market. There will also be an increase in standby pay, and an increase in the minimum overtime guarantees for call-back pay.

The new contract will cost the city an additional $523,744 in the fiscal year that began July 1, and an additional $602,469 next year.

Police union representatives argued that if Ventura did not increase salaries, it would find it hard to compete with other cities when recruiting young officers.

Police Sgt. Ken Corney thanked the City Council for its continued support.