Minneapolis City Council to consider pay raise for police chief

By KSTP

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The Minneapolis City Council is considering a pay raise for the city’s next police chief.

The proposal would give the new police chief a starting salary of more than $257,000 per year, with a chance to make up to $300,000.

City officials say the plan comes after working with an outside consulting firm, which found similar-sized cities offering their police chief more money than Minneapolis.

The city believes the increased starting pay will help recruit quality candidates.

“Needless to say, this is a very difficult job. In order to recruit in and bring on the best and the brightest we are going to need to make sure they are properly compensated,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.

The proposal would give the new police chief a chance to make up to $300,000 per year.

The proposal still needs full council support.

While a state statute limits how much a local government employee can be compensated (which includes all deferred compensation as well as all direct and indirect items of compensation that aren’t specifically excluded by the statute), exemptions can be made by the Commissioner of Management and Budget with a waiver if the position is determined to require special expertise needing a higher salary to attract or retain a qualified person.

However, the commissioner can’t increase the limitation until the commissioner has presented the proposed increase to the Legislative Coordinating Commission and also received the commission’s recommendation, per state statute.

According to the city, the current salary cap is $192,144. City officials applied for a waiver after doing a survey of police chiefs across the country, and the waiver was approved with a salary cap of $300,000.

As previously reported, the city hopes to have the names of finalists presented to Frey by the end of this summer or early fall.

CLICK HERE to read more about the state law limiting compensation for local government employees.

You can also find a salary schedule for the appointed police department position by CLICKING HERE.

Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Amelia Huffman has been serving in the role since Jan. 15, after former chief Medaria Arradondo announced in December he wouldn’t seek a third term as the city’s police chief.