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Memphis officials propose hazard pay for LEOs

The city also wants to start a vacation buyback program to reimburse foregone vacation time

Commercial Appeal

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland laid out a proposal Tuesday morning to council members for how the city should spend its $113 million in federal funding. Strickland said the city will kick in $8.7 million of the city’s federal CARES Act funding for additional contact tracing at the health department.

Strickland is also proposing a hazard pay increase for roughly 5,400 city employees for the rest of the year, an average pay hike of 3.7 percent. The hike would be handed out in two tiers.

The first is for those employees who are on the front line, like police, fire, solid waste and others. The second tier includes other essential jobs like dispatchers, library workers and parks employees. The new hazard pay program would go into effect until the end of 2020. Currently, only 685 city employees are receiving hazard pay.

Strickland said the city also wants to start a vacation buyback program to reimburse employees for foregone vacation time that had to be canceled. The city placed a vacation moratorium in place for all employees in March. It is expected to be lifted May 31.

Memphis City Council members must approve how the federal relief funds will be spent.

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