Without a doubt Blacksburg has an affordable housing problem. Recently the Town held the first meeting of the three scheduled general public gatherings to address this issue and find ways to provide incentives for affordable and green housing developments.
During that meeting, I said that it was shameful that none of the Town’s police officers could afford living in Blacksburg. In a quick response, a Town elected official noted that my remark was a bit of a red herring since she said that the police officers preferred not to live where they serve. She also mentioned that it may be the teachers who have a hard time living in our Town. While I appreciated learning about the officers’ housing preferences, I was curious whether that was the sole reason for them not to live in Blacksburg. How do the salaries of police officers and teachers compare?
A quick search led me to a 2018 article published in Forbes magazine that compared salaries of police officers and teachers in each state. The original data was presented by the GOBankingRates website. It showed that on average the police officers in Virginia earned $12,417 less than teachers! According to the GOBankingRates website, Virginia officers on average earn $37,090 to $82,690 respectively, depending on whether they are in the bottom 10th percentile or in the 90th percentile. While the average salary of police officers serving in Virginia is $56,290, the average teacher’s salary is $68,707 with Alexandria City Schools offering the highest salary in the state with an average pay of $76,251.
Expectedly, there exists a difference between the state salary averages and those in Montgomery County. By contacting the Town and the County, I learned that, in fact, the “Police Officer I” position in Blacksburg earns about $5,000 less than a Teacher (Grade/Step 0 on a 11 Month Pay Scale for T11 with Bachelor’s) in Montgomery County ($35,806 vs $40,755.80). Over time, there is a shift in the earnings, however. While the proposed maximum pay for that Police Officer category is $69,644, the same teacher’s position at Grade/Step 31 earns $66,524.58 ($3,119.42 less).
Also, it is said that police officers receive a better benefit package in addition to their ability to retire early. The benefit package for all full-time Montgomery County employees including teachers is “$8,600 for health insurance and 27% of the employee’s salary in other benefits”. For the police officers, “the benefit costs would range from $18,000 for a new officer with no family coverage to $30,000 for more experienced officers with family coverage”. While those differences exist, it is worth mentioning that benefit package is not a factor in affordable housing calculations.
Comparing to the data presented in the meeting, the earnings of both teachers and police officers, especially earlier in their careers, fall below those considered as low income ($44,700 and $55,850 figures for two and four people, respectively). Again, the data indicate that the maximum purchase price a four person household can afford is somewhere between $85,271 and $168,103. According to the May 15th presentation by Jeremy Hart, Nest Realty (cited in the meeting presentation), the median price and average sales price of housing in Blacksburg are $265,000 and $277,102, respectively. According to a recent article in CNBC’s “Make It” based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s recent released “2013-2017 American Community Survey five-year estimates”, the median home value in Virginia is $273,400 with a median mortgage cost of $1,718. Those compare to $217,600 and $1,500 values nationally.
Given the fact that the current salaries of both groups as well as some others are far from being adequate to afford an average house in Blacksburg, both groups have a hard time living there. This is the case, even if the officers did not mind living where they served. Simply they cannot afford to live in Blacksburg. Police officers are not alone in this, many other Town employees face the same issue.
By the way, the statement that the officers do not like to live where they serve may be true for some officers but it is not true for all. In fact, providing affordable housing in suitable locations in Town may be a great incentive for our officers to choose Blacksburg. That could benefit the Town. Also, although the recent proposed salary increase for the teachers is a positive step in the right direction, we need to better serve/support our teachers and police officers.
Finally, as a friend mentioned, the complex issue of affordable housing may not be obtained without restrictions. It is questionable whether those restrictions can work out in a market driven matter in a small Town like Blacksburg.
A voluntary program as suggested by the new initiative may not be as effective either. Let’s hope that the selected members of the stakeholder group have the necessary expertise to come up with a series of workable solutions for a very dynamic problem.
Javad Torabinejad,
Blacksburg