West Lake Hills to increase salaries for police force

If the department is fully staffed during fiscal year 2025-26, the salary increases will cost the city $146,000, according to the presentation.

In addition to retaining the city’s current police force, the salary increase is also intended to help with recruitment efforts, city officials said.

“I think everybody knows that there are issues with getting officers in police departments not just here but nationwide,” Gerdes said. “It’s been a problem for quite a while.”

The details

The West Lake Hills Police Department currently has three unfilled positions at the patrol officer level. Applications have waned in recent years, according to Gerdes’ presentation.

From 2015-19, the department received 167 job applications, whereas from 2020-24, 55 applications were received in total—a 67% decrease.

To aid in recruiting efforts, the city also approved upping sign-on bonuses for patrol officers from $4,500 to $6,000.

“This is not fiscally significant,” Gerdes said. “When we’re trying to recruit, we have a $6,000 sign-on bonus, it just looks good.”

What’s next?

No long-term commitments for salary increases were made at the meeting; however, council member Brian Plunkett suggested the West Lake Hills may be interested in agreeing to maintain police salaries at a certain percentage above the region’s average moving forward.

Ultimately, City Council agreed to table that discussion until the end of the city’s current budget cycle.