Click this link to live stream the meeting on Monday 5/2

Next Monday, at the Joplin city council meeting, the council will be presented with a plan to increase police and fire department salaries by at least $10,000 annually. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.

It’s no surprise that less than a month after elections in Joplin the new look council wants to dive into increasing police and fire salaries in the city.

According to a 17-slide presentation available for view at JoplinMo.org, the exhibit will discuss the root causes of crime in Joplin, how they can be better addressed and what steps does the city want to take to address them?

Include in the presentation are the current and a new proposed pay scale for each positive at Joplin Fire and Police. The current first step for a police officer is just under $38,000 annually. The under new that officer would earn just under $48,000 per year. Joplin’s Chief of Police would earn $13,000 more annually, from a salary of just over $78,000 to $95,000.

Salary increases for Joplin fire closely mirror JPD. The increase in salaries would be paid for by the addition of personal and general property taxes. Currently, Joplin does not collect either. The formal portion of the meeting gets underway Monday night at 5:45.