Sep. 26—The proposed fiscal 2026 budget would cut some police officer positions to pay for Decatur Police Department raises, with the possibility that these positions could be added back later if staffing improves, the City Council heard Wednesday.
Chief Financial Officer Kyle Demeester said in his review of the proposed budget at a called meeting Wednesday that the budget includes $2,000 one-time pay increases and no cost-of-living raise for most non-probationary, full-time city employees.
City Council President Jacob Ladner and councilmen Kyle Pike and Carlton McMasters attended the called meeting. Councilmen Billy Jackson and Hunter Pepper were absent.
The City Council will hold another called meeting at 10 a.m. Friday to consider and vote on the proposed fiscal 2026 budget ordinances, if it doesn’t make any changes.
Demeester reported the proposed “zero-based” budget for fiscal 2026, which begins Oct. 1. The proposed general fund budget is $101.4 million, which would be a $5.4 million increase over fiscal 2025.
He said Decatur and Auburn are the only two cities out of the Alabama’s 10 largest cities to report positive growth in sales and use tax.
“Everyone else is either pretty flat or next to nothing,” Demeester said.
Demeester said Decatur is fortunate to have a diverse economy that he called “almost bulletproof.” Most of the city’s income comes from essential spending rather than luxuries, he said.
This will be the first time in this council’s five-year term that city employees will not get a cost-of-living raise. They received 14.5% in raises during this period, including 6% in fiscal 2025, plus there were increases for the Police and Fire departments.
“With limited growth of revenues and priority being to our police,” Demeester said, budgetary priority was given to the Police Department.
Council President Jacob Ladner said he hopes the series of raises “puts us in good position,” so they can stay within the market on pay.
But Mayor Tab Bowling, whose term ends in November, said the next administration “has got to be careful” that it doesn’t fall behind neighboring municipalities in pay.
“Which is why we had to take some drastic steps to catch up,” Pike added.
The budget gives police officers from new hires up to sergeants a 5% step raise that would cost the city about $1.8 million.
Ladner pointed out that police officers can get up to a 7% raise if they earn a 2.5% merit increase.
The Decatur Police Department has been down more than 30 officers for about three years. Ladner said the last time the department was down to close to 10 employees was June 2022, which was six months into former Chief Todd Pinion’s tenure.
The police officer shortage “isn’t just a Decatur thing. This is a national PD thing,” Demeester said. “We’re just not having as much interest from folks wanting to be policemen. That’s just studies from across the country.”
Demeester said they paid for the police raises by reducing the number of funded police positions by 10. He emphasized that they would eliminate positions, not people.
“If we get to the position later in the fiscal year, we would figure out a way to fund the eliminated positions,” Ladner said. “And, if those positions get filled, we need to add more. I want to be clear on that because we haven’t been down to 10 since I’ve been here.”
Ladner said the one time that DPD got close to being fully staffed was when the department was second in pay among the north Alabama police departments.
New Police Chief Torry Mack talked about the impact of not filling more than 30 positions and eliminating funding for 10 positions from the budget.
“When we are fully staffed, we can do more enforcement-wise,” Mack said.
When fully staffed, Mack said the biggest impact is the department could beef up its Detective Bureau, which currently has a heavy caseload per officer.
“We definitely need more bodies,” Mack said. “Hopefully, when we lay out our recruiting plan, it’s going to help.”
He said he could also assign people to federal partners like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Agency; U.S. Marshals and FBI.
Mack said they have the officers they need to cover the shifts, so they can still give the city the protection and coverage it needs, “but it’s a strain.”
Bowling said he “would be remiss if I didn’t point out that exit interviews are showing that compensation is not the reason for departures (of police officers) from the city of Decatur. It is things that are going on in this city and on this dais.”
Since protests began over the city’s handling over the Sept. 29 shooting death of Steve Perkins by a Decatur police officer, the department has taken a hit in personnel, including Pinion stepping down under pressure.
Demeester said things seem to be improving in the Police Department under the new chief, especially since city officials better understand the importance of recruiting and retention.
“I think we’re in a really good place,” Demeester said. “It doesn’t seem to have quite as much buzz around the Police Department.”
He said he believes Mack’s leadership, including calling recruits “just to touch base and show that he cares,” is making a difference. He said a referral bonus paid to officers who get new officers to join DPD is also making a difference.
Demeester said 36% of the general fund budget goes to public safety — Police and Fire departments. He said they added enhanced training for both departments, including leadership training for the top officers.
He said Mack is implementing a bicycle unit for downtown festivals and community events.
Demeester said they are beginning a replacement plan on fire equipment that’s similar to other capital plans they have to replace police and fire vehicles.
Other highlights of Demeester’s presentation:
—Rates increased for Retirement Systems of Alabama by either 19.92% or 18.31%, depending on job classification.
—Blue Cross/Blue Shield health insurance premiums increase by as much as 4.5% have increased. The employer/employee split remains unchanged with the city paying 87% and the employee paying 13%.
—They will reclassify department head and upper management positions based on the Condrey Personnel Study.
—Decatur City Schools would receive $31.1 million, which Demeester said mostly comes from the city’s 1-cent sales tax devoted to schools. He said this money pays for school resource officers and $244,000 in appropriations for nonprofits whose work impacts students.
—Community appropriations are funded at the current level of roughly $4 million.
—Planning capital expenditures include $280,000 for refurbishment of three flume slides at Point Mallard, $600,000 for the annual police fleet life cycle, $500,000 for the annual non-public safety fleet as part of the Enterprise Fleet Management agreement, and $836,000 for the annual sanitation equipment fleet life cycle.
—The budget includes an additional $1.5 million in debt service for future bonds to pay for planned major projects.
— bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432