Spirit Lake Police Department hires back admin

The Spirit Lake Police Department hired back a former administrative employee, but at a higher rate than when she left a few months ago, despite the Spirit Lake City Council issuing a moratorium on raises for city staff.

Council members approved her new wage Tuesday.

“I don’t look at that as a raise,” Council President Darrell Woods said. “A raise is for current people that are currently here, working. When the council did that, that was for current people. It’s not a raise, it’s a starting salary. I want to clarify that.”

Stephanie Orlando left earlier this year, like six other police department employees, and got a job at the Kootenai County prosecutor’s office.

When Police Chief Michael Morlan was hired in August, he negotiated with many former employees to return to the department as a way to recover lost experience. Orlando was interested in returning, but her situation had changed with her new job.

“We’re trying to be competitive with the prosecutor’s office,” Morlan said. “We had a discussion with her about hiring her at a wage. She took a pay cut to come back but she’s willing to do it for that amount.”

In negotiations with Morlan, Orlando’s pay rate shifted from $25 to $28 per hour.

“Because it was built into the budget at $25 and he wanted to start her at $28, there is that change so it looks like that is a raise,” Mayor Jeremy Cowperthwaite said. “And there was a freeze on raises through council, so we wanted to bring it to the council to keep it above board.”

In order to hire Orlando at that rate, Morlan cut another administrative employee’s hours and pay to balance costs.

“They’re willing to do that so we could get Stephanie back in there,” Morlan said. “We were able to rehire a former employee who has a great institutional knowledge of the workings over at the PD and is paramount in getting us caught up with our audits from Idaho State Police and getting us back into order.”

Since Orlando left, Morlan restaffed the police department to five deputies, with ongoing interviews to hire a sixth by Thanksgiving, Morlan said.

“I’m happy to report we were given $629,000 for wages and salary,” Morlan said. “With myself, the lieutenant, four officers, Stephanie and Al, we came in at $569,940. Well below the money that was provided to us. It was a huge savings.”

Morlan was also able to reduce spending by negotiating a lease for two new police vehicles down to $10,000 a year each, fully equipped.

“This is a new employee,” Woods said. “Like the chief said, he made cuts in the department to allow this employee to come back at that rate.”