It now pays to be a Westminster cop

Starting July 1, it’ll pay to be a Westminster policeman.  The city council last night gave its administrator the go ahead to award police pay raises and expand the pay band for those who occupy the city’s seven police positions.  Kevin Bronson, the administrator, explained that a police officer’s salary will be increased 17 to 20%.  Key to the change is the starting salary for a certified policeman will increase from $36 thousand to $40 thousand, 374 dollars annually.  Too frequently, Westminster officials believe, the city will pay a starting officer to attain state certification only to see the officer bolt for a higher-paying police job elsewhere.  Bronson said, “This (the $40, 374 starting pay) gets us within spittin’ distance of the Oconee Sheriff’s Office of $41 thousand.”  The city’s new budget includes pay raises for all city employees of 5%.  However, Bronson told the council that it’s his intent to propose that fire fighters and certain other city employees eventually receive increases similar to that which were approved last night for the policemen.  First-term Councilman Adam Dunn commented, “This makes perfect sense.”  Colleague Dale Glymph, a former policeman, told an impassioned tale of the danger that too many officers potentially face as they risk their well-being for not much more than $35 thousand a year.