(The Center Square) - The Shreveport administration now supports moving up a proposed 3% raise for roughly 1,000 city employees rather than making them wait until March 2027, Chief Administrative Officer Tom Dark said Tuesday.
Dark told The Center Square that moving up the raises would cost the city approximately $180,000 in 2026 and $360,000 in 2027 across all funds. He said the additional funds could be under the city's proposed 2027 budget.
The change comes after the Shreveport City Council members raised concerns Monday about police officers and firefighters getting raises Dec. 1 while other employees would have to wait several months.
"The accelerated timetable will present a challenge to our HR and Payroll staffs," Dark said. "But they have assured me that it can be done, especially given the amount of lead time that we can give them."
More than 400 employees identified as underpaid through a compensation study remain scheduled for additional raises Jan. 1, 2027.
Dark said those employees would receive slightly bigger raises because the additional pay increases would be based on their salaries after the 3% raise.
The administration plans to inform the council Tuesday of its support for accelerating the raises. The city's Human Resources Board is scheduled to meet November 9 to approve a new pay chart.