Following numerous revisions and public hearings, Rollingwood now has an ordinance covering motor-assisted scooters on the books.
Earlier this month, City Council members unanimously passed a regulation that made it illegal to abandon scooters in Rollingwood’s right of way or on private property without the owner’s permission. Under the new law, violators could face a $500 fine.
The final resolution was a large departure from the original regulation that banned motor-assisted scooters entirely from the city limits.
Council Member Wendi Hundley said some residents objected to a total ban since they owned the vehicles or enjoyed using commercial scooters to get back and forth from Austin. However, she said she also received feedback supporting a ban from residents who objected to scooters left in the city’s right of ways or in bike lanes where they pose a hazard to cyclists.
“I think this is a polarizing issue at times, and there are strong feelings on both sides,” Hundley said. “I think what we’ve come up with is a good compromise solution that allows commercial scooters and private scooters to be used in Rollingwood but does not allow the abandonment of the scooters on somebody’s private property or in a public right of way where it’s going to be a nuisance.”
Police officer compensation studied
According to statistics compiled by Rollingwood Police Chief Jason Brady, the department’s starting salaries for officers are competitive with surrounding agencies; however, during the next five to eight years the officer is employed, the city falls short on pay.
At the start of his tenure last year, Brady was tasked with reviewing his officers’ compensation, “to make sure we were competitive with neighboring jurisdictions,” Rollingwood Mayor Michael Dyson said. At the Feb. 19 City Council meeting, Brady proposed a salary scale that would offer a competitive package for local officers. Council members requested more information before moving forward on the changes.
“It’s tough times in law enforcement in terms of hiring (and) recruiting, I think, in particular for our region,” Brady said.
Rollingwood is not only competing with Austin and other police departments in the area but also with other entities including sheriff’s organizations and constables offices that may offer 9 a.m.-5 p.m. shifts with a vehicle an officer can drive home, he said.
Currently there are two vacancies on the Rollingwood police force, a department that’s budgeted to have nine full-time sworn officers, including a chief of police. Rollingwood saw six officers leave the department in 2019, representing over 60% of the agency, as three officers went on to work for other police departments, one left for a private sector job, one veteran supervisor accepted a civilian position and one officer was dismissed, Brady said. Three of the department’s officers are now eligible for retirement, and one officer will be eligible in July, he said.
“The Rollingwood Police Department has recently experienced a level of turnover that has been disruptive to its operations and mission,” Brady stated in a letter attached to the meeting packet.
Brady’s graphics show a new Rollingwood officer earns $51,260 annually, compared to an average of surrounding departments including Austin at $51,225.67 annually, and $50,566.57 excluding Austin from the average. However, by five years, that Rollingwood officer earns $52,152.48 on average annually, while his or her neighboring counterparts earn an average of $59,515.27 annually including Austin, and $58,418.07 average annually excluding Austin, with West Lake Hills officers earning an average of $65,312 annually. The discrepancy is even greater at the eight-year mark, Brady said.
Although he noted the city has taken some measures to help recruitment and retention efforts—such as offering an increased sign-on bonus to new hires, authorizing the ability for the department to sponsor a police cadet and making a tax-deferred retirement savings plan available to city employees—the staff doesn’t have any civilian workers that other departments employ and who can help alleviate some of the officers’ paperwork duties.
To increase the department’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers, Brady proposed the city implement the following:
• Create a competitive salary scale. This would initially cost the city $54,835 in the first year the department is fully staffed.
• Offer a lateral transfer policy giving experienced officers joining the force credit for their years of service.
• Provide updated facilities beyond the current temporary building that houses the agency.
• Maintain a modern vehicle fleet.
• Ensure high quality training.
• Rebrand the department with new patches, badges and vehicle decals.
• Add a civilian office manager position.
Mayor Pro Tem Gavin Massingill said he’s supportive of the plan’s goal but voiced concern over cost since the department’s budget now comprises 40% of the city’s overall budget. He said efforts need to be made to look creatively at how to keep the other costs of the agency down.
Council Member Sara Hutson said she considers a strong police force to be one of the biggest assets of the city. Dyson said the city’s current methods of collecting revenue while offering such quality services to its citizens is “unsustainable.”
“If you adopt policies like (increasing police officer pay) to be competitive and … the police service that we expect is a certain level, it’s incumbent on us … that we have to pay for that somehow,” Dyson said.
Awards
Finance Manager Abel Campos was honored for his 15 years of service to the city of Rollingwood.
Police officer ceremonies celebrated the official pinning of Sgt. Greg Duarte and the swearing-in of Frank Lara as corporal for the city of Rollingwood.
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