Pay Raises Approved For Some Alexandria Public Safety Jobs

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Alexandria City Council approved pay raises for numerous public safety positions on Tuesday. Effective Sept. 22, police officers will get 6.22 percent pay raises, firefighters and medics will get 5 percent, and sheriff’s deputy I, deputy II, lieutenants and captains will get 5 percent.

City Manager Mark Jinks recommended the pay raises to the council to make public safety salaries more competitive with surrounding areas. The action stemmed from a 2017 Public Safety Salary Benchmark Study looking at the regional competitiveness of public safety pay, and input of three advisory groups in coordination with unions representing fire, police and sheriff's office personnel.

"These pay increases will make Alexandria salaries more competitive, compared to our neighboring jurisdictions," said Jinks in a statement. "It is a top priority for Alexandria, and essential to our quality of life, to retain our excellent public safety employees and to attract new applicants."

The city states in a news release that hiring competitiveness is especially prevalent in the DC region, where there's an abundance of federal, state and local public safety agencies. In turn, this can lead to issues with retention.

According to a job listing from earlier this summer, firefighter I in Alexandria pay starts at $46,946. This increases to $54,340 with the completion of recruit school and paramedic internship program. In comparison, Arlington firefighter pay sits around $48,000, The Washington Post reported earlier this year.

Firefighters and officers have been pushing for pay increases, with some testifying to city officials about retention issues and affordability of living in the city, The Post reported.

IAFF Local 2141, the union representing Alexandria firefighters, praised the council's action but says there's "more work to be done" to catch up to other jurisdictions.

The council's action allocates a $3.6 million public safety contingent approved in the fiscal year 2019 budget to the three public safety departments.

Image via Emily Leayman/Patch