A five percent pay raise for Myrtle Beach police officers and firefighters is in the works. The raise is included in the city’s $175 million spending plan, which City Council gave first-reading approval on Tuesday.
City spokesman Mark Kruea said via email that the 2015-16 fiscal year budget includes the raise for police and fire department positions without a property tax increase.
“The five percent jump recognizes the significant workload and demand on personnel in those two departments,” Kruea wrote in the email.
He said that workload is a result of the significant number of visitors who come to Myrtle Beach each year. He pointed out that the city’s population – when visitors are counted – grows to more than 500,000 peaks times in the summer.
City Council is expected to give final approval to the pay increase by the time the budget is scheduled to take effect on July 1. The increase would begin with the first full pay period in July.
Myrtle Beach is also reviewing pay rates for other city employees. The city will conduct a “market compensation study” that could lead to pay adjustments in other departments.
The budget also includes a proposed merit-based salary increase for city workers. The 850 full-time employees would be eligible for up to three percent merit-based raises. Those pay raises also await final approval by July 1.
