Lynchburg public safety officials: Pay restoration ‘a big relief’

On the heels of a tumultuous budget season, Lynchburg’s public safety officers say they want to strengthen communication with administrators and play a more active role in future cost-cutting discussions.

The public safety division was taken by surprise earlier this year when an across-the-board pay cut survived City Council’s budget review. The 3 percent reduction was always on the table, but employees said it was widely believed a better solution would be found.

The public safety division — particularly the police — and their supporters organized a strong protest campaign during the final days of the process.

On Tuesday, one week before the cuts were to take effect, council voted to rescind its decision, fulfilling an earlier pledge to restore salaries when projections improved.

“This has been a big relief for employees,” Capt. Jason Campbell, president of the Lynchburg Fire Fighters Association, said Wednesday. “I think it also restores faith in, not only City Council, but the city manager … They did exactly what they said they would do.”

Both Capt. Campbell and Officer Doug Childress, president of the police benevolent association, said they wanted to maintain an active line of communication between administrators and employees. They also wanted to stay involved in future budget talks, particularly as officials continue to search for additional savings.

“That’s something we want to work on,” Childress said. “That way, no one is left in the dark … Everyone has a part to play.”

City leaders are still wary about what the coming months hold for the government’s financial outlook. Officials stressed the need to keep slashing expenses whenever possible and warned that a second round of furloughs may be needed next year if conditions worsen.

Campbell and Childress both said they felt employees had an obligation to keep an eye on the bottom line and operate as efficiently as possible.

Leecy Fink, an organizer of last month’s public safety rally, said she and other supporters were “thrilled” and “thankful” for the pay cut’s reversal.

“This is the best result we could have asked for,” she said. “… It makes a difference in the way city employees are valued. It’s not just about the money, but about the value of their sacrifice.”

Fink, one of the public safety division’s most visible advocates in recent weeks, is a downtown business owner and wife of a Lynchburg police officer.

The police force as a whole was the most vocal of the city departments when it came to the pay cut. Vice Mayor Bert Dodson said the campaign that ensued threw a spotlight on the issue.

“The police and their supporters and a lot of other city workers came together and brought attention to this,” Dodson said. “I give credit to the police for bringing the issue up and handling it appropriately … They stirred things up.”

The vice mayor had the pay cut put on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting for further review.

City staff came back with an updated budget outlook and recommended that the pay cut be repealed.

City Manager Kimball Payne gave a significant slice of the credit to school leaders and their offer to return $500,000 to the city — which Payne described as the “lynchpin” of the pay restoration plan.

The city needed about $1.6 million to eliminate the pay cut. The remainder of the money is coming from unexpectedly strong performances among personal property and real estate taxes.

The new fiscal year begins next Wednesday.