EGF council talks bonus pay for police

With an incentive program for new hires already on the books the East Grand Forks council has turned its attention to drafting a retention bonus plan for members of the police department.

The goal is to reward officers who stay on the job.

According to an MOU with the police union bonuses of $3,000 dollars would be paid to officers who have been with the department for 2-4 years.  The figure would gradually climb to $5,000 dollars for years ten to retirement.

Mayor Steve Gander says he supports the idea as a way to show support for the work police do.  “The proper way to compensate our police officers in the long term is through a market study and to pay fair wages.  If we decide they are underpaid we will do it another way not this way.  I see the market bonus as a 1 or 2 year bridge.”

A staff report estimates the budget impact of the program based on current personnel is around $80,000 dollars per year.