Letter from the Mayor: October 2022

October 3, 2022

I have had several people ask me over the past couple of months what exactly it takes to put a new Nixa Police officer on the road. Along with the numbers below, there are also hours of recruitment time, interview and testing time, FTO (field training officer) time, along with administration and HR time.

This represents the investment required for a new level 1 rookie officer. Salary and benefits would be higher for a more experienced officer coming into the Nixa Police Department. This number has seen an increase of over 50% in the last 10 years due to higher officer salaries.

Level 1 rookie, no experience

Salary: $47,109

Benefits: $26,262

Time Off: $6,040

Training: $1,300

Uniform/Equipment: $8,000

Police vehicle cost divided by 2: $34,650

___________________

Total Year 1: $123,361

Today Nixa has 42 officer positions. Our staffing study from 2021 showed that 11 more officers were needed to meet the City’s current demands for service. These officers are needed to maintain the city’s current level of police services including things like crime prevention programs, the DARE partnership with the school district, enhanced investigations, and our current fast response times. As the city’s population continues to grow, so will the need for officers. Projections suggest we must plan for 80 officers by 2040.

As I talked about last month, the Nixa Police Department has a current budget of $3.7 million for 2022, though the City’s 1% General Sales tax is only budgeted to bring in $3.4 million. So for 2022 tough choices had to be made. The Police Department and City Council determined that increasing officer pay in lieu of adding additional officers was a higher priority for the city.

I want to let you know that City Council will continue to put public safety first and will do everything possible to support our officers. I hope you will join me in continuing to “Back the Blue” and let our officers know that they are respected and supported in the Nixa community.

Sincerely,

Mayor Brian Steele