By: David Crockett • Contributing Columnist
The Bossier City Council is in the process of re-drafting its 2025 budget, which includes long-overdue pay raises for city staff. According to a salary study concluded in October 2024, a majority of the city staff are paid well below the average range of similar-sized cities across Louisiana and East Texas.
However, rather than aligning pay raises with the study’s insights and prioritizing critical staffing needs, Councilman Montgomery made an unexpected proposal—a $500 per month pay raise for all employees, bypassing any targeted adjustments based on the study.
With the March 2025 election nearing, Montgomery’s “hail Mary” approach appears as political grandstanding and may recklessly obligate Bossier City’s general fund. Police who are understaffed and underpaid recently posted a billboard asked for more pay to support their families, and a recent police survey cited Montgomery as the key city leader responsible for their woes.
Councilman Montgomery traditionally favors infrastructure spending which has caused pay to become unbalanced resulting in shortages in Bossier City Police force at dangerous levels.
Currently, Bossier City’s police force operates with a shortage of 15-20 officers, while the Bossier City Fire Department, with salaries near regional averages and more favorable working conditions, is usually fully staffed.
Montgomery, a CPA, has also faced criticism for overstating the city’s financial health in support of his proposal. He claimed that a consistent $5-7 million surplus in annual tax revenue would easily cover the proposed raises. However, approximately $4 million of this surplus is due to approximately 50 regularly unfilled positions across the Bossier City staff including the police department.
After addressing salary shortfalls and hiring to appropriate levels, this surplus could disappear and put city at risk of an unbalanced budget. Similar to 2009 when approximately ten policemen were let go and never added back into the force, the situation could become a public safety risk for all citizens.
Council members Hammons and Smith have voiced their concerns, urging a more calculated approach. The proposal’s critics point to several financial risks. Future sales and property tax revenues are uncertain, and a blanket pay raise might compel the city to deplete its current reserve cash position too quickly.
Additionally, the Montgomery proposal stokes division among police and firefighters since the police are not brought up to the same market average before the blanket raise is applied.
Following these objections, Bossier City CAO and Finance Director have been tasked with developing a more sustainable plan. A revised strategy should address recruiting shortfalls for police through hiring bonuses, address gaps between current pay and market averages, then use a measured portion of revenues and reserve funds until Bossier City’s financial health improves.