CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) -- As Clarksville continues to grow, city leaders continue to look for ways to attract and keep first responders.  

Competitive pay will play a major role in being able to do that. While some council members feel a pay study is needed to keep up with the area’s growth and demand, others feel it’s a step that simply doesn’t fit in the city’s recently-passed budget.  

Last year, first responders in Clarksville answered just over 14,000 calls, with an average response time just under four minutes. When it comes to retaining those brave individuals, some city leaders want to start now. 

“If there is any type of pay increase for CPD and CFR in the future, what does it look like? Have those conversations now. And what it would cost the taxpayers,” Ward 11 Councilperson Joe Shakeenab said.  

Currently, Clarksville firefighters' pay starts at $44,00 per year, and police start out just under $50,000. Clarksville's public safety committee passed a resolution calling for a new pay study, but the measure failed before the city's finance committee. Now, it's up to City Council to decide. 

“To put a scale on it, the last pay study cost HR $64,000. HR's operating budget, approved by us, is $271,726.00. This resolution would devote a quarter of HR's annual operating budget to that study alone,” Ward 1 Councilperson Brian Zacharias said.  

Zacharias also pointed out that the pay study was not a line item in the city’s most recent budget.  

“We can't cut a budget request in June, just to add spending in August,” he added.  

The study would offer insight into what surrounding departments are paying and what salary demands will look like in the future. 

“I think that's a waste of money, we know, we just call another city, 'Hey, how much do your firefighters make?' We know what they make,” Ward 6 Councilperson Wanda Smith said.  

Meanwhile, Ward 9 Councilperson Jimmy Brown offered another possible approach.  

“MTAS has some of this information available from the communities that contribute it. So, that's just another resource that we have that doesn't really cost anything,” Brown said.  

Ward 10 Councilperson Stacey Streetman said that the scope of a pay study goes much deeper.  

“It's also looking at what their specific benefits are and comparison to our benefits, it's the requirements of those positions for them versus what we have,” Streetman explained. 

All city employees, including first responders, received a 2.5% wage increase at the start of the new fiscal year.  

Yet, representatives with Clarksville Firefighters Association Local 3180 previously said that raise put some of their staff with children just over the limit to qualify for government assistance. 

Council members plan to re-visit the possible pay-scale study September 4. 

“Like I said, this is a good conversation, I'm enjoying this, this is good stuff,” said Shakeenab, who formally introduced the measure before Council. “We're just going to continue it next week, I guess.” 

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/clarksville/clarksville-city-council-considers-pay-study-for-firefighters/