Missouri City police officers will receive additional pay and incentives following City Council’s approval of an agreement aiming to retain and attract officers. This comes after the department has faced staffing shortages over the last few years.

What’s happening?

At a Sept. 16 meeting, Missouri City council approved the second reading of a meet-and-confer agreement between the city and the Missouri City Police Officers Association, including a 6% increase in pay each year for three years. The first reading was approved at the Sept. 3 meeting.

The three-year agreement is a cumulation of joint meetings spurring from a December 2022 petition from the police officers association, according to Sept. 3 agenda documents. The petition called for recognition of the Missouri City Police Officers Association as the official representative of the police department.

Initially, an agreement was set to be approved in July 2023, but both parties were unable to agree on terms for a three-year agreement, resulting in a temporary 14-month agreement, Community Impact reported.

Zooming in

The agreement builds upon the 14-month agreement with items that address officer pay, incentives and hiring, according to agenda documents.

Other new items in the agreement include:

• Increasing the field training officer monthly pay from $100 to $200
• Adding an incentive of $150 monthly for motorcycle officers
• Adding an oral interview requirement for the captain position
• Allowing the city more time to fill promotional vacancies
• Authorizing the department director to certify promotional exams

Additionally, the agreement adds a provision to allow officers to come into the department at a higher pay rate if they have the necessary experience, according to agenda documents.

Looking ahead

The three-year agreement will go into effect Oct. 1, with compensation increases taking effect in May 2025, City Attorney E. Joyce Iyamu said at the Sept. 3 meeting.