Officers with the Morgantown Police Department represented by the Mon/Preston County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #87 joined the city’s firefighters in calling on city hall to engage in additional dialogue regarding changes to the city’s personnel rules.
In an April 21 letter to City Manager Kim Haws that was provided to The Dominion Post, FOP Lodge #87 President Brandon Viola calls on Haws to be transparent and accept input from city employees regarding personnel changes slated to take effect July 1.
As previously reported, the city has spent the last year or so working on the first substantial update to its personnel rules in three decades.
In addition, according to the city’s budget document, a classification and compensation study was completed by GovHR.
But Viola claims, “repeated requests,” including Freedom of Information Act requests, filed by the MPD and others, to see the study have been denied.
He writes, “The City appears to be engaged in a shell game with the Wage and Compensation Study,” adding, “References are repeatedly made to the document as justification for upcoming changes, but the document is unavailable, and the upcoming changes are hinted at but not defined.”
Viola said the MPD is already facing serious issues in terms of recruiting and retaining officers. He notes the department, authorized to have 72 sworn officers, is poised to be at 55 by this time next year.
According to Viola, two of the last three entry exams resulted in no qualified applicants, and those that do qualify are seven to 12 months from hitting the street.
“Short staffing in the Police Department will lead to officers burning out, getting hurt and leaving the Police Department for greener pastures,” Viola wrote, pointing to “below average salary, reductions in leave/other fringe benefits and limited/aging resources” as major challenges facing the department.
Viola’s letter came days after representatives of the Morgantown Fire Department and IAFF Local 313 expressed concerns about changes to the city’s holiday pay policy as public comment before Morgantown City Council.
Morgantown Communications Director Andrew Stacy said city administration received Viola’s letter but didn’t wish to comment publicly regarding an internal personnel matter.
“Administration has and will continue to work through its management to address personnel concerns,” Stacy said.
According to information provided as part of the city’s budget document, the completed compensation study resulted in the determination of pay grades and steps for each position type based on market conditions.
It states, “An employee’s rate of pay was adjusted accordingly if it was below the market amount or adjusted slightly to fit into a step if they were already within their range. Employee’s rate of pay was not decreased if it fell above the market, but it will affect future pay increases as the market catches up with their current rate of pay.”
