To continue paying additional compensation to the Jefferson City Police Department's SWAT supervisor, the Jefferson City Finance Committee approved sending a new policy to the Jefferson City Council for approval.
Since 2012, city staff has been giving annual approval to pay the Command Officer who oversees SWAT operations additional compensation. The officer receives additional compensation for about 72 hours per year, for approximately $2,200 annually, City Administrator Steve Crowell said.
City staff consulted an attorney with Missouri Public Risk, who said the city could continue providing the additional compensation to the SWAT supervisor if the city outlines it in a policy and additional compensation is budgeted appropriately, Crowell and Finance Director Margie Mueller said. Outlining it in a policy would align with the Missouri Constitution, Crowell added.
The SWAT supervisor spends several off-duty hours supervising the team and conducting monthly training, on top of the supervisor's full-time duties, Police Chief Roger Schroeder said. The SWAT supervisor also can be called at all hours of the day to go to a dangerous situation.
"There's not a more serious assignment and one that innately has more danger than a SWAT unit," Schroeder said. "You don't know ahead of time just how dangerous a call is, but when we go to a SWAT activity, we know that is, by definition, extremely dangerous."
There are other exempt city employees "who also work significant hours and may be considered in a similar situation and should, therefore, be treated in a similar manner," Crowell said in a memorandum to the committee. However, the Finance Committee wants the policy to specify only the SWAT supervisor.
Command personnel in the Police Department do not receive regular overtime pay, Schroeder said, and the SWAT supervisor is the only one who receives additional compensation.
"I understand the desire for consistency, but there is no other position within the city that requires of other individuals (to do what) this person must do to keep this community safe," Schroeder said.
Sales tax revenue update
Jefferson City collected $879,331 from the 1 percent sales tax in August, $51,887 less than projected.
The half-percent capital improvement tax brought in $423,478 in August, $15,514 over projections.
The half-percent parks sales tax accumulated $423,387 in August, $5,224 over projections.
The city collected $92,260 in lodging tax in August.
Since voters approved the lodging tax increase in 2011, the 7-cent tax has collected nearly $8.37 million. The 4-cent tourism fund contains nearly $4.89 million.
Hotel occupancy in August was down nearly 5 percent compared to last year - 56.8 percent versus 61.5 percent in August 2017.