GIRARD — After having difficulty finding part-time police officers and dispatchers, city council took the first step Monday to increase the pay from $10 per hour to $16 per hour.

Safety Service Director Jerry Lambert said this year has been challenging to find employees for the police department, with a need to increase the hourly pay to get people to apply.

Lambert said plans originally were to increase the pay from $10 to $15 per hour, but the city decided to make the pay $16 per hour.

Mayor James Melfi said the police department needs dispatchers and police officers, and officials realized the pay had to be increased to be competitive with other communities.

“With the current job market, $10 per hour is a thing of the past,” Melfi said.

A person who is hired or with one year of service gets $10 per hour, which goes to $12.50 per hour for one to eight years, and $15 per hour after eight years.

Officials said plans are to remove those steps and increase the pay to $16 per hour for anyone hired. Part-time employees receive no other benefits other than PERS, which is required by law.

Council is scheduled to give final reading on the pay increase at its July 26 meeting.

In other business, council gave final reading for distribution of speed camera penalty revenue.

The revenue collected in fines last year totaled $1.8 million.

Plans are effective June 1 to place 58 percent of the total into the general fund, 18 percent in street construction, 14 percent in recreation, 5 percent in capital improvement safety and 5 percent in capital improvements.

The police department has had the automated speed camera violations program in place for the past several years to slow down speeders and generate dollars.

Council also improved distribution of income tax with modification effective June 1 to include 17 percent to the general bond fund and 3 percent to the garbage fund.

Auditor Julie Coleman said income tax collected this year through June 30 is $1,746,578.

Coleman said income tax collected in June was $307,350.

Also, Melfi said he will be seeking additional Community Housing Improvement Program funds for the city to be used to rehabilitate one-family housing units, which are owned and occupied by low- and moderate-income households.

He said Girard has a better chance of getting the additional funds jointly with the cities of Cortland, Hubbard and Niles.