TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Steve Powers, City Manager
FROM: Krishna Namburi, Director
Employee, Enterprise, and Technology Services Department
Trevor Womack, Police Chief
SUBJECT:
title
Hiring Bonus Program.
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
Result Area(s): Good Governance
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SUMMARY:
summary
Oregon law currently permits employers to offer hiring/signing bonuses as an exception under the Oregon Pay Equity Law. A hiring bonus program will make the City more competitive in the marketplace for trained, experienced police officers. The program will also be available for other positions that have been difficult to fill and where the vacancy is having a measurable impact on the City’s delivery of services.
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ISSUE:
Shall City Council approve a hiring bonus program for police officer lateral transfers and difficult-to-fill positions, with the bonus being $7,500 per hire, for recruitments between October 25, 2021 and February 28, 2022, or until such time as state law no longer exempts hiring bonuses from the Oregon Pay Equity Law?
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Approve a hiring bonus program for police officer lateral transfers and difficult-to-fill positions, with the bonus being $7,500 per hire, for recruitments between October 25, 2021 and February 28, 2022, or until such time as state law no longer exempts hiring bonuses from the Oregon Pay Equity Law.
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FACTS AND FINDINGS:
City has an increase in vacant police officer positions due to early retirements, transfers to other agencies, and diminishing pool of qualified applicants. Historically, the City has not offered hiring or signing pay bonuses. Hiring incentives are a common practice used by Oregon law enforcement agencies to entice sworn, experienced officers from other Oregon jurisdictions and from states that have reciprocity with Oregon law enforcement certifications. Known as lateral transfers, the officers have the required training and experience to have an immediate impact on the City’s delivery of services.
The Program would be for officers hired by the City who transfer from other law enforcement agencies between October 25, 2021 and February 28, 202. The program would end sooner if state law no longer exempts hiring bonuses from the Oregon Pay Equity Law.
An officer eligible for the bonus must be currently, or has been within the past 12 months, employed as an Oregon police officer with a minimum of three years of full-time employment as a sworn police officer in Oregon and has current Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) certification(s).
Out-of-state lateral transfer candidate must receive reciprocity from DPSST and be eligible to attend the two-week DPSST course to certify as an officer in Oregon. Once certified by DPSST, candidate will be eligible to receive the hiring signing bonus.
The hiring bonus amount of $7,500 will be paid upon successful completion of the lateral transfer hiring process, but not to exceed 30 days after their first official day as a City of Salem Sworn Police Officer. Lateral transfer officers will be required to sign an agreement for the hiring bonus stating that if they do not successfully pass the 18 month probation, or separate for any reason before completing 18 months of service, they will be required to reimburse the City of Salem one half of the hiring bonus in the amount of $3,700, within 30 days from separation date.
Following the Human Resources Rules for moving expense reimbursement guidelines, the Police Officer Lateral Transfer Hiring Bonus Program will provide that newly hired sworn officers relocating to Salem from more than 100 miles away will be eligible for moving expense reimbursement up to $1,000.
The hiring bonus program will also include the current practice for eligible lateral transfer officers that when hired, they will receive an advance of leave accruals in the amount of 40 hours of vacation and 40 hours of sick time credited to their leave accrual banks.
Funding for the Hiring Bonus Program is available in the City budget due to savings in personal services from position vacancies.
The hiring bonus program will be used for other difficult-to-fill positions, subject to approval by the department director.
KRISHNA NAMBURI
EMPLOYEE, ENTERPRISE, AND TECHNOLOGY SERVICES DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. None.