Bossier City Considers Bonus For City Workers

SHREVEPORT, LA – Bossier City leaders are considering a proposal to give police officers, firefighters and other city workers a pay bonus from federal dollars.

Mayor Tommy Chandler has proposed using nearly $2 million in American Rescue Fund monies to pay for premium pay allowances for eligible full time employees of the city of Bossier City.

The measure says even though the public health emergency has been terminated, city employees “continue to provide in-person interactions with the public in order to maintain continuity of operations of critical infrastructure.”

Bossier leaders say federal rules for the use of such ARPA funds have been expanded to include pay for essential critical infrastructure such as the employees of the City of Bossier City who continued to provide in-person interactions with the public or whose co-workers continued to provide in-person interactions with the public during the declared national health emergency. These workers are eligible for a premium pay allowance to be appropriated from ARPA funds. The employees had to be full time and have been with the city on or before April 10, 2023. Another stipulation is that these workers must have “remained employed as full-time employees through the effective date of this ordinance in service to the Bossier City Police Department, the Bossier City Fire Department, or as a classified or unclassified employee of the city”.

If the city council passes this measure, these employees would be eligible to receive a uniform premium pay allowance to be calculated by the total amount of funds available.

Workers employed as temporary, elected, seasonal, contract, inactive, or part-time employees are not eligible for a  premium pay allowance.

ARP rules say the funds “may be used to pay administrative costs, including payment to consultants and/or payroll to assist with the implementation of ARPA projects. This includes costs of consultants to ensure effective project management, as well as legal and regulatory compliance. Funds may be used to increase staff capacity in order to stabilize government operations.”