Goodhue, MN may be a smaller city, but they have big problems as they now find themselves in DEFCON III, as they balked at the idea of needing to pay them better. First alerted on July 26th, the City Council was informed that if they did not have their conditions met, they would not be staying on. The conditions? More competitive pay to stay operating.
Choosing to see how serious they were, the City Council found themselves receiving letters of resignation from Police Chief Josh Smith and six other officers. The letters will leave the town with no police officers as of August 24th. He explained their reasons were simple when talking with the local network Fox9. “We’ve got zero applicants and I have zero prospects. I’ve called every PD around looking for the youngest guys out there getting into the game. There’s nobody getting into the game.”
As it is, the officers were receiving $22 an hour, which Smith explained was vastly lower than other departments, even in smaller districts. Despite their offer of a 5% raise and a $13k bonus for the Chief, it’s not been enough. They are still at the bottom of all local precincts, and as they insist they are too understaffed and too underpaid.
Residents who dial the Goodhue non-emergency number are greeted by a pre-recorded message telling them to leave a message or call the Goodhue County Police Department. Mayor Ellen Anderson Buck and City Councilmember Chris Schmit are looking to Goodhue County’s Deputies to pick up the space left by their departed officers until they can get people to fill the roles.
This liberal mindset about compensating first responders is criminal. It encourages people to overwork for minimal pay, and through a massive misunderstanding, they end up being less effective due to a poor work-life balance. A city like this has a lot to learn, and they are coming up short.
