Toccoa PD to increase pay

During the recent Toccoa City Commission meeting, the commission agreed to move forward with raising the starting pay of entry level officers for the Toccoa Police Department.

The proposed rate for all officers is $15.73; however, for a 5-Year Officer the rate would be $16.

Currently, the Toccoa Police Department is experiencing issues with recruiting and retaining entry level police officers, the department believes these issues stem from the starting salary for the position.

Mayor Jeanette Jamison was concerned with raising the starting pay while keeping the same hourly rate for experienced officers.

Police Chief Tim Jarrell told the commissioners how he has lost three possible new hires to other agencies that pay more.

The additional cost for the remainder of this fiscal year will be $146,707 over budget.

This amount includes: salary, holiday pay, insurance, FICA, retirement and workers compensation.