Portsmouth City Council will consider changes to its employee salary ordinance when the measure comes up for a second reading on Monday, September 28.
The proposal includes a three-year pay schedule for dispatchers, with the 2026 rates taking effect retroactively to January 1. It also revises how pay for a number of Municipal Court positions appears in the ordinance.
The documents reveal something else residents may be curious about: the pay rates listed for jobs throughout city government, from the city manager and police chief to firefighters, street crews, water workers, and court employees.
Dispatcher Raises Would Go Back to January
The proposed dispatcher rates reflect the city’s contract with General Truck Drivers & Helpers Local Union #92. The ordinance lists increases for 2026, 2027, and 2028.
|
Dispatcher position |
2026 hourly pay |
2027 |
2028 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Probationary, 0–6 months |
$19.00 |
$19.50 |
$20.00 |
|
Rookie/probationary, 6–12 months |
$20.00 |
$20.50 |
$21.00 |
|
Dispatcher, 1 year or more |
$23.81 |
$24.52 |
$25.26 |
|
Lead Dispatcher, if filled by chief |
$25.37 |
$26.13 |
$26.91 |
The 2026 increase would be retroactive to January 1. The proposed ordinance does not state the total cost of the back pay.
The two documents supplied with the proposal help show what is being revised in the Municipal Court section.
One document, with the affected court positions highlighted in pink, lists annual compensation for those jobs. Some amounts are broken out by the court fund that pays them. The other document lists hourly rates for many of the same positions.
That does not mean every highlighted employee is getting a raise. In some cases, the proposal changes how compensation is stated—from annual amounts and funding allocations to an hourly rate. The documents do not provide enough information to calculate a confirmed raise for every position.
Here is the compensation listed in the version using hourly rates:
|
Municipal Court position |
Listed pay |
|---|---|
|
Municipal Court Clerk |
$84,115.20 annually |
|
Secretary/Court Reporter/Assignment Clerk |
$34.85 per hour |
|
Part-time Deputy Clerk |
$24,000 annually |
|
Bailiff |
$25.80–$28.99 per hour |
|
Deputy Clerk |
$22.38–$25.99 per hour |
|
Civil Chief Deputy Clerk |
$24.44 per hour |
|
Chief Probation Officer |
$32.97 per hour |
|
Assistant Chief Probation Officer |
$27.34 per hour |
|
Counselor |
$23.98 per hour |
|
Case Manager |
$23.98 per hour |
|
Probation Officer |
$23.98 per hour |
|
Court Security |
$19.54 per hour |
The ordinance lists compensation for Municipal Court judges as determined by state code rather than providing dollar amounts.
One figure stands out: The highlighted document lists the Municipal Court Clerk at $65,830 annually, while the other lists $84,115.20—a difference of $18,285.20.
The documents do not explain whether $65,830 represents the clerk’s entire current compensation or why the figures differ. Until that is clarified, it would be premature to describe the difference as a confirmed $18,285.20 raise.
City Manager, Auditor, Police Chief and Department Heads
Beyond the proposed dispatcher and court changes, the ordinance lists annual salaries or salary ranges for city leadership and department heads.
|
Position |
Annual salary or range |
|---|---|
|
City Manager |
$101,895–$135,889 |
|
City Solicitor |
$101,955 |
|
City Auditor |
$99,384 |
|
City Engineer |
$63,090–$85,225 |
|
Police Chief |
$44,079–$92,908 |
|
Fire Chief |
$44,079–$92,908 |
|
Public Service Director |
$46,284–$76,378 |
|
Community Development Director |
$42,104–$70,203 |
|
Director of Water |
$46,011–$79,345 |
|
Director of Wastewater |
$46,011–$79,345 |
|
Director of Utility Account Services |
$53,390–$76,757 |
|
Parks and Recreation Director |
$42,316–$48,596 |
|
City Clerk |
$23,983–$50,067 |
The ordinance notes that the water and wastewater director ranges include a $2,000 increase upon Class IV certification. These are the listed salary ranges, not confirmation that anyone currently receives the top amount.
What Portsmouth Police Officers Make
Police pay is listed by rank and experience. A recruit attending the academy is listed at $20.76 an hour, while a top-step patrol officer is listed at $30.85.
|
Police position |
Hourly pay |
|---|---|
|
Recruit, attending academy |
$20.76 |
|
Probationary officer |
$26.47 |
|
Rookie |
$27.75 |
|
Patrolman |
$29.12 |
|
Senior Patrolman |
$30.26 |
|
Top Step Patrolman |
$30.85 |
|
Sergeant |
$33.62 |
|
Lieutenant |
$36.65 |
|
Captain |
$39.94 |
|
Deputy Chief |
$41.78 |
The police chief’s compensation is listed separately in the annual salary schedule.
What Portsmouth Firefighters Make
The Fire Department schedule includes different rates for ranks with multiple pay steps. The listed rate for a probationary firefighter is $18.26 an hour, while the deputy fire chief’s rate is $42.99.
|
Fire Department position |
Hourly pay or range |
|---|---|
|
Probationary Fireman |
$18.26 |
|
Pipeman |
$19.24 |
|
Firefighter |
$21.18–$22.25 |
|
Engineer |
$22.87–$24.04 |
|
Lieutenant |
$24.22–$25.44 |
|
Captain |
$25.88–$27.19 |
|
Fire Marshal/Prevention Officer |
$34.27–$37.12 |
|
Battalion Chief |
$27.67–$29.07 |
|
Deputy Chief |
$42.99 |
The ordinance states that overtime, health insurance, and other benefits for bargaining-unit firefighters are governed by the city’s agreement with IAFF Local #9.
Code Enforcement, Animal Control and Other City Jobs
The salary ordinance also lists compensation for positions residents regularly encounter, along with seasonal and part-time jobs.
|
Position |
Listed pay |
|---|---|
|
Lead Code Enforcement Officer |
$69,739 annually |
|
Code Enforcement Officer |
$50,389 annually |
|
Animal Control Officer |
$28,925–$40,544 annually |
|
IT Technician/Office Manager, Engineering |
$47,410 annually |
|
Evidence Technician |
$28.31 per hour |
|
Part-time Human Resource Officer |
$22.00 per hour |
|
Seasonal Laborer |
$12.94 per hour |
|
Lifeguard |
$14.72 per hour |
|
Part-time Victim Advocate |
$15,000 annually |
|
Part-time Interpreter |
$5,200 annually |
|
Pool Manager |
$8,588 annually |
|
Campground Caretaker |
$8,651 annually |
|
Part-time Civil Service Executive Secretary |
$7,211–$15,716 annually |
Temporary emergency flood defense workers are listed at Ohio’s minimum wage rather than a specific dollar rate.
Other Administrative and Professional Positions
The ordinance lists the following annual salaries and ranges for additional city employees:
|
Position |
Annual salary or range |
|---|---|
|
Assistant City Solicitor/Prosecutor |
$37,695–$48,770 |
|
Legal Secretary to Solicitor |
$31,204–$50,788 |
|
Investigator to Solicitor |
$30,214–$47,210 |
|
Administrative Assistant, Police Department |
$30,544–$50,923 |
|
Administrative Assistant, City Manager’s Office |
$29,181–$46,305 |
|
Assistant to City Manager |
$30,478–$52,296 |
|
Administrative Assistant, Fire Department |
$26,332–$43,898 |
|
Assistant to Service Director |
$29,030–$46,932 |
|
Assistant Director, Engineering |
$33,425–$57,525 |
|
GIS Administrator/System Analyst |
$53,549 |
|
Grants Technician |
$32,746–$45,836 |
The part-time plans examiner/engineer position is listed at $36.06 to $51.86 an hour.
What About Street Crews, Water Workers and Maintenance Employees?
Many positions in public service, utilities, maintenance, engineering, and clerical departments are assigned a pay grade instead of having a dollar amount beside each job title.
For example, the ordinance assigns a common laborer to Grade C, a heavy equipment operator to Grade J, and garage mechanics to different grades depending on the position.
Here are the hourly rates for the grades listed in the ordinance:
|
Pay grade |
Hourly rate |
|---|---|
|
C |
$16.21 |
|
D |
$17.92 |
|
E |
$20.59 |
|
F |
$20.29 |
|
F* |
$20.48 |
|
F** |
$20.95 |
|
H |
$20.53 |
|
I |
$20.95 |
|
J |
$21.04 |
|
K |
$21.64 |
|
K* |
$23.17 |
|
L |
$22.31 |
|
N |
$23.87 |
|
N* |
$24.08 |
|
O |
$24.08 |
|
O* |
$24.80 |
|
O** |
$24.87 |
|
P |
$24.87 |
|
P* |
$25.62 |
|
P** |
$26.39 |
|
P*** |
$26.63 |
|
Q |
$27.51 |
These are rates attached to pay grades, not the earnings of particular employees.
The ordinance also shows two pay amounts for each of several Finance Department positions: deputy auditor ($29.66 and $31.14), Finance Clerk I ($23.15 and $24.31), Finance Clerk II ($24.55 and $25.78), tax commissioner ($28.96 and $30.41), and deputy tax commissioner ($24.19 and $25.40). The provided schedule does not label what distinguishes the two amounts.
What Happens Monday?
Council’s September 28 meeting is scheduled to include the second reading of the salary ordinance. The proposal would replace the salary ordinance amended in 2025.
The changes under consideration center on dispatcher pay and the Municipal Court salary listings. The rest of the document provides the citywide pay schedule; its inclusion does not mean every city employee is being considered for a raise.
