Police Pay Increase Among Budget Retreat Considerations

By Dave Vieser — Town staff and commissioners will travel to Graylyn International Conference Center in Winston Salem on Tuesday and Wednesday this week for their annual retreat to finalize the proposed budget for fiscal year 2027, which begins July 1.

Among the considerations is a higher-than-usual salary increase for Cornelius police officers.

Town officials discussed a plan during a recent budget planning session at the Cain Center for the Arts that would raise officers’ salaries by $8,480, bringing minimum starting salaries to $62,282 from $53,802. Town Manager Andrew Grant said the increase is aimed at improving recruitment and retention after neighboring agencies approved larger raises in the past several months.

“We’re learning from the past,” Grant said. “We don’t know what the competition will do, but an increase is likely.”

Officers in Davidson start at $56,814 annually, compared with $61,000 in Huntersville and $59,000 in Mooresville.  Grant said that those salaries will likely increase as those towns adopt new budgets, as well.

Police Chief David Baucom also requested creation of an associate communications supervisor position at a gross annual cost of $113,000, with about $70,000 coming from the department’s existing overtime and part-time budget. Baucom said he hopes to fill the role from within the communications division.

The position would coordinate with officers and oversee operations within the town’s 911 system, which also provides Davidson College with 911 communications service.  Baucom said Huntersville may consider rejoining the Cornelius 911 system, although no formal request has been made.

Fire department

Public safety requests also came from Fire Chief Guerry Barbee, who is seeking $1.5 million to replace Engine 2, which has 90,000 miles and was placed in service in 2011. Barbee also plans to request $320,000 in salaries to continue transitioning the department to full-time staffing, adding three full-time firefighters next year. The department is also seeking a 5% cost-of-living adjustment and merit increase for part-time personnel.

Additionally, the fire department is requesting $150,000 for a traffic pre-emption system that would allow responding units to control traffic signals when responding to emergencies.

Economic development

The town is proposing a new position to oversee downtown management and economic development initiatives.

The role would lead capital infrastructure projects and coordinate implementation of Downtown Master Plan recommendations, including regulatory updates, branding, public signage and streetscape improvements. The position would also foster small-business growth, coordinate special events, serve as a liaison to stakeholders and a downtown nonprofit, pursue grant funding, and support business recruitment, retention and expansion.

The spending requests are department-level proposals and will be reviewed by town staff before a recommended budget is presented to the Board of Commissioners in May.

Whether the proposals will be included in the final budget — and whether a tax increase will be necessary — remains uncertain. In his first budget season as mayor, Denis Bilodeau urged staff to clearly explain to residents how tax dollars are spent before adopting the new budget.

The retreat is open to the public and sessions will be streamed live on the town website beginning Tuesday morning. Sessions are Tuesday from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon.