City of Topeka raises starting police officer pay by 14 percent

Topeka next year will raise starting pay for police officers by 14 percent, from $19.44 to $22.08 per hour, under a contract the city’s governing body voted 10-0 to approve Tuesday evening.

The nine council members and Mayor Michelle De La Isla spent 40 minutes discussing the agreement behind closed doors in executive session before going back into public session and approving it.

Councilwoman Karen Hiller said they had “some serious discussion and some serious angst” as they discussed the contract.

“Without going into any details, this is a pretty robust contract,” she said.

Hiller asked police officers to help the city “keep the lid” on its budget.

The agreement previously was approved by the city’s rank-and-file officers — sergeants and below — who are represented in collective bargaining by the Fraternal Order of Police.