Arceneaux Administration Response to Capt. Carter's Letter

Captain Carter ignores the fact that SPD pay was increased in 2024. In addition, pay supplements based on education, firearms proficiency and physical fitness were increased or newly-authorized, as were generous hiring incentive payments for new recruits and lateral transfers. Similar incentives were provided for members of the Fire service. Other City employees got smaller increases. 

For 2026, the Mayor recently proposed additional pay increases, along with a doubling of the uniform allowance that Police and Fire personnel receive. The increases are not as large as Captain Carter proposes,  but they are what we believe the City can afford. The City council is reviewing the Mayor’s proposals now.
 
What the Mayor and Council do not recommend  doing is what Captain Carter proposes - granting  pay increases only to Police officers (and, even then, not including  other sworn SPD positions, such as Jailers and Communications Officers). Our position, and that of City Council members, is that any pay increases we can provide should be provided to all of our employees. That is only fair, since Fire service members and the hard-working men and women who pick up garbage, fix streets, keep water flowing and our parks and airports open ((to name a few) are important parts of meeting our obligations to our citizens. That is why the Mayor’s proposal  includes everyone. 

The Mayor and I are not standing in the way of a Police pay increase. The Mayor has proposed one. Finding a recurring funding source to pay for it is the issue. One only has to read about the budget problems affecting New Orleans to see what happens when a city tries to do what it cannot afford.