Politics & Government
Murrieta Police Associations Agree to Delay Pay Raise
The Murrieta Police Officers Association and Murrieta Police Management Association agreed to a six-month extension on a promised pay raise to help the city mitigate a revenue shortage.
Murrieta's police officers and management recently agreed to delay a pay raise to help the city balance its budget as it heads into the fiscal year.
They were contractually due the first installment of a six-percent pay raise in January, but agreed to extend that increase to July 2012, when they will take a three-percent raise.
Then in July of 2013 and 2014, they will receive 1.5-percent increases to their base pay, according to a staff report.
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The contract extension was approved by the Murrieta City Council at its June 21 meeting, at the same time it approved an $80.3 million operating budget for the 2011-2012 Fiscal Year.
The city's general fund, which includes the police department, will see $32.9 million in revenue but $37.5 million in expenditures, leaving a $4.6-million deficit. The city will transfer $7.2 million from various contingency funds to make up the difference, including a $4-million loan repayment from the Murrieta Redevelopment Agency.
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The leftover transfer funds will be allotted for the required 25 percent emergency reserve, said Joy Canfield, Murrieta's finance director, in a staff report.
"Budgets were created with the goal to maintain city services at the highest level possible despite the difficult economic times," Canfield said.
The contract extensions for police will save $176,568 in the coming fiscal year.
Sgt. Robert Anderson, president of the Murrieta Police Officers Association, told Patch in an email that the last time officers took a raise was two years ago. He said, however, that 97 percent of members voted to accept the contract extension.
"(This is the) second year in a row we voted to put off our contractual pay raise," Anderson said. The first time was one year ago in June 2010.
"Our three percent raise was also voted unanimous to delay a year--to July 2011--that one was to help reduce layoffs," he said.
This year's extension wasn't because of a threat of layoffs, but because it would help balance the city's budget, he said.
Other cost-saving measures taken by the police department include not filling a vacant lieutenant position, said Interim Police Chief Mike Baray in a phone interview Tuesday.
The position was vacated with the promotion of Dennis Vrooman to interim captain. Both Baray's and Vrooman's promotions remain interim pending the city's appointment of Baray as permanent chief, he said.
Capt. Sean Hadden's recent promotion from lieutenant became official upon Capt. Steve Porter's retirement, he said.
Other retirements created more promotions, which include Julie Hoxmeier from sergeant to lieutenant, Daryl Underwood from corporal to sergeant, and Jeremy Durrant and Kent Chivington from officers to corporals.
"It just fills the vacancies all around," Baray said.
Consequently, the department was able to hire three new officers to fill the spots vacated by those promoted.
New hire David Hernandez hails from the Irvine Police Department, Kyle Mikowski hails from the San Diego Police Department, and Joe Gutierrez hails from the Hemet Police Department.
A reserve officer, Ed Stukenschneider, also joined the force. He comes with more than 20 years experience in law enforcement, Baray said, and will volunteer about 20 to 30 hours a month.
"Things are going well, we'll see what happens," said Baray about his service as interim chief.
He is into the job by about two months now, after being one of the first officers hired when the force originated in 1992 and working his way up the ranks over the years.
"I am just keeping everything running."
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