The Morristown City Council recently voted on the budget, and it did not include a pay raise for our police officers. It did, however,  approve moving ahead with the building of a 37-million-dollar community center. A recent study indicated that our officers are being paid 7% below the national average for forces of their size. This is unacceptable, and one of the reasons for such a high turnover in the department.

With the current state of things in our town and country, we need well-trained, experienced men and women on our force. Let’s face it, morale is down as police officers are daily being harassed, disrespected, and deemed unnecessary.
 
At one city council meeting, our local police officers were referred to as "guinea pigs, always wanting more."  Another time police work and trash collecting were referred to as equivalent jobs. That is appalling. Certainly, police work is a bit more risky than trash collecting--although both are important and necessary. 
 
We may not be able to change what is going on in other places, but we can stand and support our men and women in blue in Morristown. Please sign the petition to compensate our valued police officers fairly. Presently, the starting salary is about $15 an hour or $31,000 annually. 
 
Here’s a list of the administrators and members of the City Council who made the decision to pass on the raises for our officers.
 
City Administrator: Tony Cox
Assistant City Administrator: Larry Clark
Assistant City Administrator: Joey Barnard
Mayor Gary Chesney
Bob Garrett - Ward 1
Chris Bivens - Ward 2 (voiced support)
Kay Senter - Ward 3
Al A'Hearn- Ward 4
Ken Smith - At Large
Tommy Pedigo - At Large