Santa Fe city employees and members of the Santa Fe Police Officers Association are getting pay raises. City workers are getting an 8% bump to their checks, while members of the police association are getting a 16% increase, according to a release issued by the City of Santa Fe.
“With these historic investments in our employees we are keeping our promises to our workers and the residents they serve,” said Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber in the release. “The raises prove that the City of Santa Fe intends to be the employer of choice in the region so we can hire and retain qualified workers who will keep us moving forward on all fronts. What’s good for our employees is good for Santa Fe.”
The raises are part of the Fiscal Year 2023 budget approved in April. The raises are aimed at retaining current workers and recruiting future employees for the city and police.
“I am excited that city employees will receive these salary increases,” Bernadette Salazar, the human resources director, said in the release. "The increases are higher than what we’ve seen historically, and we believe this will assist in the recruitment and retention of great employees. We are pleased that all parties have worked together to make this happen.”
The city continues to offer $2,000 retention incentives to existing employees and $1,000 new hire/retention incentives for 2023. Last year, according to the release, the city raised the minimum hourly wage for city staff to $15.