Wage Gap Causes Stress Within the San Angelo Police Department

SAN ANGELO, TX – A rumor of a mass exodus is circling around the San Angelo Police Department after concerns of being underpaid.

The rumor has been circulating for some time but really ramped up following a social media post from former San Angelo Police Department Public Information Officer Tracy Piatt-Fox. In the post, Piatt-Fox claimed that she has heard that over 20 officers are looking for new work while over 40 others could retire at any time.

The main concern is the price difference compared between similar cities. In Abilene, an 8-year officer is eligible to make around $90,000 while the SAPD only offers $60,000.

However, it may not be entirely the City's fault. The San Angelo Police Department has an agreement with the City of San Angelo called 'Meet and Confer.' This process allows the SAPD to hold an arbitration meeting to fight for hiring salaries for the department.

The San Angelo Police Officers Coalition and City of San Angelo leaders have met six times since April 2023 in an effort to negotiate an enhanced compensation package for the city's police officers. Despite these meetings, the initiative, dubbed "Meet and Confer," reached an impasse during the September 2023 session, resulting in the conclusion of negotiations.

Central to the contention was the timeline proposed for the implementation of pay raises. Although both parties appeared to be on board with an annual package worth $2.4 million, their visions for how fast the City gets there differed. The City aimed to roll out the raises over a three-year period, aligning with three budget cycles, while the Police Officers Coalition advocated for more immediate action.

To contextualize the financial implications for taxpayers: an increase of a single penny in the property tax rate would add approximately $767,000 to the City's general revenue fund. To accommodate an instantaneous $2.4 million boost to the police payroll, property taxes would have to see a hike of roughly 3 cents. Alternatively, significant budget reductions in other departments would be essential. It's noteworthy to mention that the fire department, another significant budgetary concern for the City, is facing comparable fiscal challenges.

Historically in Texas, property taxes exclusively funded fire and police departments. However, according to the FY 2024 City of San Angelo budget, sales tax revenue now contributes roughly 4% to City of San Angelo public safety budgets.

In the concluding Meet and Confer session, the City resisted a proposal that would have overextended the FY 2024 budget. This plan called for a phased-in pay raise, starting with a $1.1 million increase in the police payroll the first year. The City Council did approve a portion of this with a 3.5-percent uniform pay hike for all City staff. This left a shortfall of $700,000 to meet the proposed first-year increment for police.

The City Council ratified a tax rate that maximizes the permissible year-over-year increase in City revenues under State Law, translating to a tax hike for City of San Angelo property owners. To set a higher rate, a vote on the FY 2024 tax rate would have been required by State law, a situation City political leadership was keen to sidestep.

San Angelo LIVE! has reached out to both the City of San Angelo's City Manager's Office and the San Angelo Police Department to set up interviews with each entity in hopes to get to the bottom of it. Look for those interviews on the LIVE! Daily News Show soon.

The following is the full post:

Citizens of San Angelo are unaware of how many officers are actively seeking other agencies for employment opportunities. We cannot fault them for wanting to earn a fair wage for the incredibly difficult and dangerous job that they do. We cannot fault them for wanting better benefits for their families.

Since I no longer work for the police department, I can say things that need to be said without fear of retaliation, or being blackballed. (Yes—- that really happens)

I have had many officers reach out to me since I left the PD and they are extremely concerned about what will happen to our citizens and public safety within the city of San Angelo should we have a mass exodus of officers. 21…that is the number of officers (that I am currently aware of) that are actively seeking employment elsewhere. That doesn’t include the 40+ that can punch out and retire at any time.

Let that sink in.

What does that potentially look like for response times to your family’s emergency?

In addition, SAPD officers are actively being RECRUITED by neighboring agencies. They are literally and figuratively courting officers. ”Hi, my name is Joe, I’m the recruiter for __PD. I like working dogs, long walks on the beach, and can offer you a __% pay increase, better benefits, housing discounts, and a sign-on bonus.”

You heard me. Neighboring agencies who are aware of the issues within this city (pay, benefits, lack of support and/or advocacy from leadership) are reaching out to our officers to discuss what their city has to offer. And ALL of their offers are too good to pass up.

I don’t want this city to go unprotected. I don’t want this city to go to a “everyone will be directed to make an online report unless it’s a violent crime” model because there aren’t enough officers to respond to calls for service.

Criminals will figure that out quickly and take advantage of it.

We can’t let that happen.

Please reach out to city management and your elected officials to voice your concerns.

• City Manager's Office: Main: 325-657-4241 Vision statement: “To be the Texas standard for opportunity, prosperity and quality of life.”
• City Council: 325-657-4407 Vision statement: “To be the Texas standard for opportunity, prosperity and quality of life.”
• City Mayor: Contact and Phone Numbers 72 W. College Ave. San Angelo, TX 76903 (325) 657-4335

The city won’t listen to officers’ voices. Hopefully they will listen to yours.

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