LA PALMA : Budget Woes Preclude Pay Raise for Police

The City Council has unanimously approved a new, one-year contract with the La Palma Police Assn. that does not include any pay raises.

Police Chief David Barr said the officers reluctantly agreed to the new pact, accepting it only because they knew there was no money available.

The new contract with police is retroactive from July 1 and extends through June 30.

The City Council had the contract among its “consent calendar” items last Tuesday, and there was no debate or discussion of it.

The consent calendar is usually used for minor, non-controversial matters before the council.

In an interview after the council meeting, Barr said the police association, which represents the officers, understands the city’s budget problems, but added that “they also understand that this (lack of a pay raise) can’t go on forever.”

The new contract with police does have one relatively small item of increased spending.

The city agreed to fund $4,200 as a pool of money for “bilingual pay for employees demonstrating competency in designated languages.”

Barr said that the money would be shared during the year by officers who are taking, or who have successfully completed, foreign-language training.

The City Council has said the municipal budget has been severely eroded in recent years by cutbacks in city funding by the state Legislature.

No city management employee has received a pay raise in the past three years, according to City Manager Pamela Gibson.

She said police received “a very modest” pay raise last year, and that this is the first year officers have been given no pay increase at all.