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New Castle County Council passes $8 million budget increase for police salaries

New Castle County Police Department

New Castle County Council approves an $8 million increase in the upcoming fiscal year budget for police salaries.

The increase represents a 10 percent pay raise for all New Castle County police. Council voted 12 in favor and one against – Councilman Penrose Hollins.

The spending passed Tuesday night in a separate ordinance to amend the FY25 budget, which council passed earlier that evening, after cries for help from police officials, including FOP Lodge 5 President Jonathan Yard, who says they are currently 63 officers short of what they need.

“If we continue to go down this road, that 63 will become 73, and then 83, at which point the Colonol or the Major is going to stand in front of you and give you the report, and you’re going to say ‘well how can we stop this?’" Yard says. "You have a chance right now to do it.”

Several council members initially voiced opposition, due to the manner in which the funding was proposed – taking money from the county’s reassessment reserve. Councilman George Smiley cautioned that future tax increases are inevitable.

“So this should be negotiated, put into that legislation, put into the budget, and we should have a clear picture of what the expenses are going to be going forward.”

Smiley blamed County Executive Matt Meyer for excluding the pay raises from the regular budget process.

“This county executive had an obligation to put this in the budget and let council vote it as part of the budget, let the public see it as part of the budget," Smiley says. "The process is all wrong, he knew it going in, it’s nothing but a freaking publicity stunt for him... If we needed to raise taxes to support the police, so be it. But not bring it in after the fact and try to drain the coffers before he goes out the door.”

Councilman John Cartier argues taking the money from the reassessment reserve is a fiscally irresponsible move.

“This is not the way to do this," Cartier says. "We need to have a different process that is more in line with our collective bargaining agreement process to make our salary structure for our county police competitive in the environment that we face today.”

Councilman Jea Street also voiced opposition, noting he has voted for more funding for police in previous years, but has not seen the change he hoped for.

“After costing millions in legal fees for the sex scandal, millions in legal fees for all the uses of deadly force, now we’re going to give them $8 million," Street says. "They loom large and in charge, I’ve been saying since at least 2020, the police is running the government. And we need to get to a point where the government is running the police.”

Street later voted for the ordinance. Councilman Penrose Hollins was the lone “no” vote following cries for help from police officials, who warned an understaffed force would see more departures without improved salaries.

County Police Chief Joe Bloch says their department is the 13th highest paid in the state, and they are facing a staffing crisis.

“Even if you approve this $8 million, to do these 10 percent raises, we’re still going to be way out of the ballpark," Bloch says. "So I don’t know what this council is going to do and how you’re going to go back and you’re going to face your constituents and tell them what you did to the police department, because it’s coming.”

Meyer defended his decision to pay for police salaries with reserve money. He says the immediate need for additional compensation wasn't realized until his proposed budget was nearly finished.

He adds the cost of reassessment ended up being lower than projected, so the money they are allocating from the reassessment reserve is leftover tax payer money.

"I don't really believe that governments should be charging taxes just to collect money to hold in reserve accounts," Meyer says. "I think we should be spending it."

Meyer adds all of the county's reserve accounts have increased by about $100 million during his administration, and says they should be using it to address the county's most critical public safety needs.

Rachel Sawicki was born and raised in Camden, Delaware and attended the Caesar Rodney School District. They graduated from the University of Delaware in 2021 with a double degree in Communications and English and as a leader in the Student Television Network, WVUD and The Review.