CRESTVIEW — Citing improvements to department morale and the restoration in the public’s confidence in the Crestview Police Department, the City Council unanimously approved Mayor David Cadle’s request for an immediate pay raise for Police Chief Tony Taylor.
Taylor’s salary will rise to around $80,000.
Questioned by Councilman JB Whitten at Monday evening’s council meeting, Cadle said he raised the matter now because evaluation of the city budget showed the raise is now possible.
“I wasn't sure how the budget process was going to go last year,” Cadle said. “As I looked at this a little bit more. I thought it might be an opportune time to recognize what he (Taylor) has done.”
Cadle said it was “real important” not to impact the city’s budget, but to find money through savings in other areas.
Of the approximately $6,500 raise, $4,500 will come from savings from relocating the police dispatch center from the P.J. Adams Parkway public safety building to police headquarters.
The other $2,000 came from an expected $53,810 savings from budgeted city fuel expenses, which are lower than expected due to lower fuel costs.
City Clerk Betsy Roy said the chief’s raise is just for the remainder of this budget year, which goes through September. Next year’s salary will be subject to the normal budgeting process, she said.
Councilman Doug Faircloth praised the mayor’s action, saying Taylor might have been tempted to look for better pay elsewhere, including at his former agency, the Fort Walton Beach Police Department, whose chief is retiring.
"Sometimes we don't put a value on what we have," Councilman Shannon Hayes said. “You have to make an honest gesture for the service they're providing. If not, they're going to walk.”
Taylor said he was “humbled” by the praise and the salary increase, but credited his officers and the relationships his agency has with other city departments for the police department’s accomplishments.
“The monumental successes we have had in the department is due to the synergy we have,” he said, adding, to laughter, “My wife sincerely appreciates the raise.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview police chief gets a $6,500 raise