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SATTLE — The country is facing a nationwide police shortage, and Suttle is no exception. To address the shortage, the Sartell City Council on April 8 accepted a $100,000 state grant to search for two non-traditional law enforcement candidates, despite future budget concerns.
Non-traditional candidates are those who are interested in a career in law enforcement but have not yet received the training required to become a police officer. The grant will be used to cover tuition, salary and fringe benefits for hired candidates until they are eligible to take the state certification exam.
Candidates hired will initially be classified as cadets and will be promoted to junior police officers once certification is complete, according to a city memo. The grant does not provide long-term funding for new hires, and the award is a one-time benefit.
more: Waite Park Police Department addresses staffing issues with raises
“We still have time to analyze budget impacts in 2025 and beyond, which may include tax rate increases to fund these officials,” the memo states. “The largest impact on our budget will occur in 2026, when both officials are completed Appropriations, their salaries and benefits are up to 100% (Sutter’s responsibility) for the entire fiscal year.”
The funding, coupled with salary increases for three employees without a long-term budget impact analysis, led Councilman Jed Meyer to raise concerns about future impacts.
“I hope from a staff and council perspective that we’re actually making future budget decisions here,” Meyer said. “If we (approval these changes) it will end up being a full year (of expenses) in next year’s budget.”
Meyer said the decisions are critical because staffing is one of the most contentious parts of the city’s annual budget as every department looks to increase staffing. Mayor Ryan Fitzthum said personnel costs are one of the city’s largest expenses.
The City Council unanimously supported approving the grant to help the department address staffing issues.
“Accepting the grant is a huge step forward in getting more people involved in law enforcement who otherwise wouldn’t be able to be involved,” Fitzsam said. “Love it, but think about how this will change in 2025, 2026 and beyond. means something.”
The U.S. Department of Justice released a report in 2023 citing the COVID-19 pandemic and community dissatisfaction with police as the main causes of police shortages across the country.
Waite Park recently provided for higher pay increases in its latest collective bargaining agreement for police recruiting officers. Waite Park Police Chief Tony Reznicek and Sartell Police Chief Brandon Silgjord both expressed frustration with the competitive nature of police recruiting in the St. Cloud metro area.
“All we have to do is compete against each other,” Reznicek said. “Once our payment plan is approved and our wages go up, the next city around has to adjust it.”
– Corey Schmidt is a freelance writer for the St. Cloud Times
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