Budget reflects WPD internal changes

Set for approval next month, a 9 percent boost to the recommended Waynesboro Police Department budget would reflect a shifting landscape within the department and how it plans to retain a dwindling force, authorities and government officials said.

With the promise of raises for all sworn officers and an increase to the entry-level salary, Waynesboro City Manager Mike Hamp said he hopes to better compete with surrounding jurisdictions and stopper attrition. The funding will come mostly come from unfilled vacancies, Hamp said.

In November, The News Virginian reported that the department’s crunched budget, high turnover, aging equipment, and a growing city population had sent officer morale into the basement. However, speaking this week about the lifeline from City Hall, as well as the hiring of Michael Wilhelm as the new police chief, word from department spokesman Sgt. Kelly Walker rang positive.

“It’s a new day,” Walker said. “It’s a good day.”

Still, the proposed $347,831 hike in the department’s budget must be approved by Waynesboro City Council, which has yet to determine whether to raise taxes. Mayor Frank Lucente said that decision should come May 23.

“At that time, we’ll either vote up or down on the taxes, and at that point we’ll know what the budget is,” Lucente said. “We’re working on it.”

The mayor said he considers the department a high priority, specifically the patrol division, which has long suffered from manpower erosion and a fleet of undependable Dodge Chargers.

“I can’t speak for anyone else, but I will recommend that we keep the police budget where it is,” he said.

Hamp said all sworn officers will receive a salary adjustment. Depending upon service and rank, the increase will range from 4 percent to 9 percent. Hamp would not divulge details about which officers would get the maximum bump.

Incoming officers will benefit from an increase in entry-level pay, Hamp said. Five officers expected to join the force this week will receive the new rate, which upped the annual salary from $29,872 to $31,000.

“We're able to affect the financial impact through vacancy savings and attrition,” he said.

Spots left by the departures of former Deputy Chief Bill Maki and retiring parking guard Special Officer Brenda Arkward represent positions the city will not refill, freeing those salaries for distribution among other officers, Hamp said.

Money also was gleaned from a decrease in pay for top level officers. In Hamp’s proposed budget, the salaries and benefits for police administrators were slashed by 44 percent. The change marked a $13,914 decrease in pay to the chief of police. Wilhelm is set to earn $87,800 annually.

In a conversation Friday, Wilhelm didn’t complain.

“Mr. Hamp has done an excellent job of taking the first couple of steps in handling our attrition rate,” he said. “We’re still not totally recovered from our budget woes.”

Wilhelm said his goals for the department include promoting current officers into a reformed hierarchy of four captain slots, rather than three. He also plans to focus on his officers’ futures, he said.

“We’ve actually formed a committee at the department for career development,” he said. “They’ll poll other departments and see what they’re offering as incentives. Then they’ll pull together a proposal and see if they can move forward with it.”

The chief said the program is important for his officers, who are looking for ways to avoid years stuck in the same positions.

As for the fleet of Dodge Chargers, which appear in city shops on a regular basis for a variety of mechanical failures, Hamp has not developed a timetable for replacement.

“There isn’t a long-term plan at this point,” he said. “Until our economy stabilizes, and until we’re able to move out of a maintenance type of mode, we will simply look for opportunities to save money.”

In the meantime, officers will work with what they have, Wilhelm said.