LAWRENCE — Four new police officers will be hired and all public safety employees — police officers, firefighters and other emergency personnel — will get raises if the Lawrence Common Council approves a plan advanced by Mayor Dean Jessup.
By adding four officers, Lawrence Police Department will have 62 officers on staff — the largest force Lawrence has ever fielded. Public safety personnel will enjoy a 4 percent raise under the plan, a dispatcher will be hired and money will be set aside for public safety equipment and retiree payouts.
Money has become available to pay for the plan as a result of the public-safety income tax increase approved by Marion County that went into effect January 1. The City-County Council in Indianapolis/Marion County voted last September to raise the tax from 0.35 percent to 0.5 percent, generating an additional $29 million a year. Marion County municipalities other than Indianapolis are sharing $1.9 million, including $860,000 this year for Lawrence.
“We in Lawrence are fortunate to have dedicated public safety personnel to protect our families and businesses,” Mayor Jessup said. “These folks have stuck with us as we weathered a fiscal storm and they deserve to be rewarded now. I’m asking the Common Council to approve my plan so that the raises will go into effect July 1 and so that we can immediately begin the process to hire more police officers.”
The mayor said his plan will be incorporated into an ordinance that will be formally presented to the council May 4 for its consideration.