TD Council approves $10k Hiring Bonuses, $1.66 million in projects
The Dalles Police Department will be offering a $10,000 bonus to officers willing to make a lateral transfer to the department. The bonus was necessary because of a hiring crisis, according to city officials.
The Dalles City Council approved $10,000 signing bonuses for lateral officers joining The Dalles Police Department at their regular meeting Monday, Sept. 13.
City Manager Julie Krueger said the move could ultimately save the department $14,000 as the officers would come to the department after having completed a 20-week course at the Oregon Public Safety Academy.
City Manager Julie Krueger
The appeal of recreation and living in a smaller town such as The Dalles as well as the bonus, just one of two or three being offered in the state, might increase the number of applicants to the law enforcement agency which is having a “staffing crisis.”
City Councilors approved the bonus unanimously. It will be paid to new hires in two parts. Half or $5,000 in the first month’s paycheck and the second $5,000 at the end of a 1-year probation period.
The split payment ensures that new hires will stick with the department long enough to understand and get accustomed to the culture of the job and the area, said Police Chief Tom Worthy. Extensive background checks and other processes required for hiring deter applicants that are not sure about taking a job in The Dalles, he added.
Councilors also unanimously approved $1.66 million in projects to be paid for with federal dollars coming from the American Rescue Plan.
However, the Council, asked that projects from Wasco County Parks and Recreation and Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) be brought back before the Council for a more detailed explanation of how the money will be spent. MCCAC is interested in pursuing a short-term loan of $150,000 as part of their funding of the Navigation Center project.
Here are all of the projects that received approval:
Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation/Sorosis Park $400,000 (pending budget)
Traffic Safety Devices $ 40,000
Replace lost TRT/fuel taxes (2019/20) $297,737
Downtown Economic Development $ 75,000
Chamber of Commerce/Tourism $ 30,000
Property Acquisition Fund $650,000 (homeless/affordable housing/small business incubator project)
Police Department security/safety $100,000
Next Door, Inc. Programs $ 70,000 (Outpatient Behavioral Health/Transitional Living)
TOTAL for first year of funds: $1,662,737
AMOUNT RECEIVED: $1,749,392
Remaining if all above are fully funded: $ 86,655
MCCAC interest in a loan for Navigation Center Funding: $ 150,000
Google Negotiations
Google by night in the Port of The Dalles. Photo by Cole Goodwin
The Dalles Mayor Rich Mays said that negotiations with Google on building two data centers on former aluminum plant property will return to City Council on Oct. 25. In addition, Krueger said that water agreement information about the proposed new data center’s water source will also come before the Council during the same month.
