Fire chief asks for pay equity between fire department and police department

Employee pay was on the agenda of the Selma City Council June 13.

Interim Fire Chief Franklin Edwards asked the Council to set the salary for the fire chief and assistant fire chiefs to be the same as the same positions in the police department. That would require Edwards’ salary to be increased from $69,000 to $80,000, which is what the police chief is paid. The assistant police chief’s salary is $75,000 and the assistant fire chief's salary is $66,000, Edwards said in a letter to the Council.

Edwards said the pay between comparable positions in the police and fire departments isn’t fair, and the difference between his salary and his assistant chief’s salary is too small, especially considering the assistant chief is eligible for overtime pay and the chief is not. He said he did not receive a raise when other public safety employees received a raise in July 2022.

“It’s not justified and it’s not fair,” Edwards told the council. “I ask everyone to be treated fairly. It’s not about me, it’s about being fair. If you think it’s fair, I don’t appreciate it.”

Mayor James Perkins Jr. also asked the Council to clarify what it meant when it increased the minimum raise for unskilled workers to $12 an hour and skilled workers to $16. Perkins asked if the Council meant to set the minimum wage for all city employees at $12, because the language was unclear.

After some discussion, the Council agreed to include salary questions in the upcoming budget discussions rather than take up the issue separately now.