Council hears citizen’s request for police pay raise

A request by Shealeigh Arledge for a salary increase for local police officers was made to the Iowa Park City Council Monday night .

The request was made in the Citizens Input part of the meeting and council members couldn’t respond because the subject wasn’t on the meeting’s agenda.

Arledge said her husband had joined the Iowa Park Police Department in 2021, and he and the other officers love what they do. “We also live in a time where police officers have a target on their back and they leave their families to protect and serve this city, and they do it with pride,” she added.

She said the officers also respond to medical calls. “This is not a requirement of all departments. Our fire department and first responders are fantastic, but with them being volunteers, the reality is their response time is not as fast as paid departments, especially at night and our officers perform life-saving measures when time is critical until first responders and EMS show up. That is why it is so unfortunate that our police department is underpaid.”

Arledge said officers’ starting pay in Iowa Park is $16.93 an hour. “That is really really low. Not only is the salary budget low, but so are the budgets for equipment and training,” she said. “These officers spend a lot of their own money to have equipment to be the best they can be, and it is time for us to take that financial burden off of them.”

Arledge said that recently several officers put together a pay raise proposal. “You will see that the department is not only one of the lowest paid in the area, but is also one of the lowest paid in the state based on population and call volume,” she said. “I would love to be on the agenda for the next meeting to further discuss how we can make this happen, especially after ya’ll read this proposal.”

City Manager Jerry Flemming told her that the council had discussed salary increases for city employees, but they have to wait until they get certified numbers from the appraisal district to make a decision.

In other business, the council approved amending the city’s Code of Ordinances regarding water and sewer service, and decided on the cost of water service to RV parks.

Amending the city’s Code of Ordinances to General Penalty for Violations of Code; Continuing Violations was also approved. The change increase the penalty for refuse dumping violations for up to $4,000.

A lease agreement with Albert R. Bata for a 0.14-acre tract land out of Rose Park, Original Townsite, also known as 400 W. Daisy was approved.

A proposed lease agreement with the Iowa Park Recreational Activity Center for the building and property at 806 N. 3rd St. was tabled for further discussion.

When the city took ownership of the First Christian Church property, several organs and pianos were left in the building. The council is looking for people who would like to have them.

The city also acquired the church’s parsonage and garage at 210 N. Bond and they are in a state of disrepair. The council voted to let the Iowa Park Volunteer Fire Department use the structures for training prior to demolition.

The council continued its annual budget presentations with reports from Public Works/Public Utilities, Parks and Recreation, Library, and Economic Development.

A request to close the south side of the 100 block of West Park for a meal and street dance fundraiser to benefit Addie Myers on Saturday, Aug. 6, from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. was approved.