Dallas has come under scrutiny regarding the proposed starting salary for police recruits in the upcoming fiscal year 2025-26 budget, with several residents and at least one city council member expressing that the figure may not be competitive enough and potentially contradicts the voter-approved Proposition U.
Council Member Cara Mendelsohn has been vocal about her concerns, claiming that the salary proposal is based on outdated data and does not reflect the rapidly evolving North Texas labor market.
According to records obtained by KERA News, Dallas would rank third out of 24 municipalities in the metroplex when factoring in combined salary and non-pension benefits while still adhering to the stipulations of Proposition U.
The proposed starting salary of $81,232 marks a notable increase from the current rate of $75,397. This figure includes non-pension benefits, which is permissible under Proposition U. However, the compliance does not ensure uniform starting pay for all officers.
In a memo addressed to City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and Chief of Public Safety Dominique Artis, Mendelsohn expressed “serious concerns” regarding the proposed salary and requested updated employment figures for consideration by the city council.
She cited evidence from at least 20 cities in North Texas offering salaries above the proposed amount, which raises alarms about the risk of hindering recruitment and retention efforts for the police department.
Mendelsohn’s concerns were partly based on data from the DFW Fire and Police Salaries website, which provides a comparative analysis of police and fire department compensation across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. However, the website carries a disclaimer indicating that the data may not be accurate or current.
As the fiscal year begins on October 1, the City Council is scheduled to ratify the budget on September 17.
In her remarks during a budget workshop, Mendelsohn emphasized her desire for the city to be able to state that it is offering top pay for its officers, underscoring, “We have the number one police department in the United States, we should be paying them the number one amount.”
A memo from Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland to the city council placed Dallas at 12th out of 24 peer cities based on the proposed base salary.
However, when factoring in claimed combined salary and non-pension benefits, Dallas ranks higher, sitting in third place behind Allen and Frisco.
Mendelsohn has criticized Ireland’s memo, insisting it does not satisfactorily address her concerns since the comparisons rely on outdated information from neighboring municipalities that have since modified their salaries.
The data referenced by the DFW Fire and Police website contrasted salaries against Dallas’ current starting pay, not considering the additional non-pension benefits, and positioned 46 cities above Dallas. Notably, 23 of those cities serve populations under 50,000.
When combined with non-pension perks, the potential starting salary for recruits in Dallas could reach approximately $91,912, which potentially enhances Dallas’ ranking even further.
During the budget workshop, Ireland mentioned, “The survey is typically conducted in February and March, so the report was made in its scheduled time.”
He acknowledged that while Dallas is not within the top five cities for starting pay, once non-pension benefits are included, the city ascends to a more competitive position regionally.
However, not all officers will qualify for all non-pension benefits, which could impact the effective starting pay.
Mendelsohn pointed out many officers might not have a bachelor’s degree, be bilingual, or work in roles eligible for shift differentials, stating, “So that means they’re really far behind and they could immediately take up and go to another location and get paid a lot more.”
At a recent city council briefing, a number of residents voiced their opposition to the proposed base salary, primarily from Council Member William Roth’s District 11.
Among them, Tina Lewis Peterson expressed her discontent with the ranking of Dallas as 12th in North Texas for starting salary, arguing that the inclusion of selective non-pension add-ons like bilingual pay serves to misleadingly inflate the figures.
Lewis Peterson claimed, “These accounting games are misleading to officers, residents, and directly undermine the spirit of the law.”
Another concerned resident, Charles Moncrief from District 10, reiterated that the proposed salary seemed to stray from the requirements set forth by Proposition U, accusing city staff of engaging in semantic games by presenting stipends as salary.
Rather than compromising on public safety, Moncrief stated, “If you need money, cut somewhere else. Cut until you find the dollars, but don’t short-change public safety. Dallas voters demand real investment and not re-imagining.”
Proposition U, passed by Dallas voters in November, mandates that the city allocate no less than 50% of new, annual revenue to support the police and fire pension. It also stipulates increasing the number of sworn police officers to a minimum of 4,000.
The proposition calls for a starting salary and non-pension benefits—excluding sign-on bonuses—to rank within the top five of police departments in Dallas, Collin, Tarrant, Denton, and Rockwall Counties with populations over 50,000.
The proposed budget stands at $5.2 billion, with $1.97 billion designated for the city’s general fund, and approximately $1.2 billion allocated for police and fire departments, making up around 62% of the general fund.
Dallas’ proposed base salary for police recruits, when combined with non-pension benefits, positions the city in third place. Ireland asserted in his memo that this aligns with Proposition U, citing that its language includes “starting combined salary and non-pension benefits.”
However, Mendelsohn contends that the proposed salary does not capture the intent of Proposition U, which she believes was passed on the expectation that the city would proactively remain competitive in officer salaries.
Despite acknowledging the benefits of increasing recruiting goals and staffing levels, Mendelsohn maintains that these efforts have not gone far enough to ensure the city attracts and retains skilled professionals in the police force.
“I don’t want to shortchange the solutions,” she stated. “I want to ensure the city does everything it can to attract, train, and retain the finest professional staff.”
image source from：keranews
