BRANDON, Miss. (WJTV) – The City of Brandon approved a pay raise for multiple city departments.

Leaders said police officers, firefighters, 911 dispatchers and Public Works employees will receive a pay bump in the coming months.

The Brandon Board of Aldermen approved the increase on Monday, August 19 with a vote of 6-0. One alderman was absent from the meeting.

Brandon Mayor Butch Lee said the raises for police officers and other positions are designed to reward the hard working employees of the city. He said the city had to make many changes in the budget, including paying off previous debts and eliminating positions that were not filled after last year.

“It’s a combined four or five things that we put together, and we were able to free up about $1.5 million, $1.6 million, actually, and that we put all of that money into our people, and so very pleased and proud. We’ve got a Board that’s in unison on that. We all feel the same way. We want better, we want better people, and we know we’ve got to pay more to get better people,” Lee said.

According to the mayor, some workers will see a raise of almost $14,000. The raises will go into effect on October 1, 2024.