IVINS — Christmas came early for police officers in Ivins and Santa Clara, as the Ivins City Council has approved a raise in pay.
Ivins, which oversees financing and operations for the joint Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department in the same way Santa Clara oversees the fire department, approved a pay raise of $6 per hour. The decision was made over the course of two Ivins City Council meetings, which culminated in a 3-0 approval with two council members absent on Nov. 17.
The item was one of the last on the council’s agenda in a Nov. 17 meeting. Santa Clara-Ivins Police Chief Bob Flowers sat among members of the audience for the length of the meeting, but by the time the item came up 2 1/2 hours later, Flowers was one of the last people in the audience.
“That’s OK. I can wait all night long,” Flowers said.
But Flowers didn’t have to wait much longer as the council quickly approved the measure transferring funds to pay for the pay raise.
A city attorney position previously budgeted was not filled, allowing those funds to be transferred. In addition, the police will forgo one of the new vehicles budgeted in the city’s 2023 budget as well as one budgeted new officer.
Flowers noted that departments like Salt Lake City’s were heavily recruiting some of his officers and the one competitive area where they were falling short was pay.
“I just can’t tell you what it means to the department,” Flowers said. “Our officers are wonderful people and this means a lot.”
The pay raise becomes effective in January.
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