Police and firefighters want raises in DeKalb budget

The biggest fight over DeKalb County government spending this year may be about pay raises for police officers and firefighters.

DeKalb CEO Mike Thurmond didn't include raises in his budget proposal Tuesday, but he acknowledged that pay, recruitment and retention are issues for public safety employees.

Police and firefighters want a 20 percent pay raise, saying it's necessary to DeKalb competitive with surrounding areas. They received 4 percent raises last year.