Tulsa’s city finance department made a determination of what a full year of a step increase to police pay would cost.
"The SPIs for police would cost $1,020,000 — full year implementation of those," Finance Director Mike Kier told the city council's budget committee.
The figure isn’t for the current fiscal year, which money had already been set aside for. The police union has agreed to start negotiations for the 2015 fiscal year, which begins July 1, from scratch.
A retirement benefit that lets Tulsa police officers cash in accrued sick leave upon retirement complicates the debate over how much future increase will cost.
Every three days out of the first 120 days of sick leave regular city employees bank can be traded for a vacation day — a full day’s pay in effect. Up to 30 after that are traded one for one. It's different, however, for sworn employees.
"For police and fire it's a two-for-one conversion, so you'd pick up 60 days pay," Kier said. "So you'd — just off the sick leave side, you're good for 90 days if you're carrying a full bank, which most people approach retirement having."
The city pays a lump sum for banked time off, which can end up equaling six months pay. Any pay increase negotiated for fiscal year 2015 would increase those payments for accrued time.
