The Cypress City Council has approved a new four-year compensation agreement for its police department that will provide not only a 23% cost of living adjustment but also $700 per month performance bonuses for the department.
“We’re pleased that a new agreement has been reached,” Human Resources Administrator Regina D. Nguyen told the Council.
She said the two-year agreement between the Police Management Association and the Police Officers Association expired in June and the new agreement “includes significant increases to compensation for members.”
According to the California Comptroller’s Office, Cypress residents in 2022 paid its police chief $311,063 per year, which includes a salary of $240,000 plus $70,965 in benefits while a police sergeant waspaid $194,532 in salary and $58,970 in benefits, according to the government website.
According to the site, officers salaries ranged from 90,000 – $200,000 including wages and benefits.
Under the new agreement, Nguyen said Cypress police employees will receive an immediate 11 percent increase in year one, four and one-half percent in years two and three and three percent in year four, amounting to a 23 percent cost of living increase.
In addition, she said “There’s a new form of pay called ‘performance-based master pay’ that will pay officers $700 per month for the first three years of their agreements.”
In addition, she said there is an increase to the police monthly medical contribution up to $1850, said Nguyen.
“Several factors affected the outcome of these negotiations,” she said, including the labor market. “Recent changes in law enforcement public perception has greatly impacted recruitment and retention,” she told the Council.
“This, combined with inflation has necessitated employers providing unprecedented compensation increases over the past few years,” said Nguyen.
An additional consideration is that the Cypress Police Department needs to “remain competitive in a challenging labor market,” she said.
“These increases are a necessary cost of doing business….and this being in the business of providing police services has gotten much costlier in the past few years,”
In addition to unanimously approving the raises, the council voted to amend the city’s budget to provide the $1 million increase to the current fiscal year and $327,000 for ongoing costs beginning in year five.
“We’ve been talking about this for several months…and I want to compliment everyone from the PMA to the city staff for really taking this to success. I know there was give and take on both sides,” said Council member Bonnie Peat.
In addition, Chief Mark Lauderback presented the department’s new strategic plan to the Council, saying the force was “finally getting back to normal” following the COVID disruption.
“We’re focusing on the development of our younger officers that we’re seeing coming through the door as we’re losing our senior staff to retirement and figuring out how to develop these future leaders,” he said.
Lauderback said the department was also creating a training matrix to ensure officers on the force understand what is expected of them. “We’ve enhanced the department’s technology plan, and that really encompasses a lot,” the Chief said.
“I went through the three-year strategic plan and looked at every position and what we’re doing and how can we streamline it and be more cost-efficient and provide a better service at less of an impact to the community when it comes to finances,” said Lauderback.