Dubuque personnel spending increases in 2024 as fire, police wage expenses jump

Personnel spending for the city of Dubuque increased in 2024 as officials sought to boost wages for the police and fire departments. The city spent $49,262,841 on employee base wages in fiscal year 2024, which began July 1, 2023, and ended June 30, 2024. This marked a 9% increase in wage expenses from fiscal year 2023. These wages, combined with $18,995,293 in total benefits for staff equate to a combined $68,258,134 devoted to employee salaries and benefits. Benefits include health insurance, Social Security, life insurance, retirement and uniform allowance. There were 22 new full-time employees. The city departments that saw the largest wage increases from FY ’23 to FY ’24 were fire, police and public works.