SANDY — Police and fire officers here could get a pay increase to stop the city's forces from migrating to higher-paying towns next door.

A tentative budget under review by the Sandy City Council would adjust the salaries for police and fire officers to allow swifter advancement to the top of the city's pay scale. Instead of the current 3 percent merit-based raises for officers, the city would up that figure to 5 percent increments.

"When you're hiring, you need to remain competitive," Fire Chief Don Chase said. "With the old step increase, they actually lose some ground."

The lower step increase has put Sandy police and fire officers behind their peers in neighboring cities, who reach their maximum pay rate much faster than Sandy personnel.

That lagging pay has meant a severe dip in morale, Chase added, as officers began leaving for higher-paying positions in cities like West Jordan.

"They don't move up fast enough," he said. "It's got to improve morale. Nobody likes to be paid less than their counterpart."

But Patrick Radke, president of the Sandy police union, said he's not convinced the new system will be enough to close the gap between Sandy officers and other cities. If the budget change doesn't deliver, Radke said morale could dip even lower after years of clamoring for higher wages.

The biggest question, Radke explained, is how current officers will get plugged into the new pay scale and if that will really translate into a bigger paycheck.

"Now they're playing catch-up with all the other agencies. They've told us we're going to be happy, and we're going to get raises, but that remains to be seen," he said.

The exodus of police officers and firefighters seeking higher wages forced city leaders to find ways to boost salaries and increase incentives, said city spokesman Ryan Mecham. Officer compensation in the city — the third largest in Salt Lake County — has lagged when stacked against comparable cities like West Valley City, Salt Lake City and Ogden.

According to city records, the average pay for a full-time Sandy police officer is roughly $38,000 a year. The highest paid non-supervisory police officer makes $48,672 a year. Annual pay for paramedic and EMT firefighters is about $33,000.

"It's a market-driven thing. We want to compensate fairly, neither ahead of the pack nor the last of the pack," Mecham said.