Fort Dodge will offer signing bonuses to new police officers next year in a move city leaders hope will ease recruiting challenges.

The City Council approved the proposal unanimously without discussion Monday.

The signing bonus, which will range from $2,500 to $10,000, will be available from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2026.

In a report to the council, city Human Resources Director Jamie Anderson wrote, “The program authorizes sign-on bonuses for newly hired full-time sworn officers, including both certified and non-certified candidates, as well as referral bonuses for city employees who assist in successful recruitment efforts.”

Officers who are already certified by the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy would be eligible for the biggest bonuses. Anderson wrote that it costs the city about $10,000 to send a new officer through the academy.

The bonus would be paid in installments.

An officer who received a bonus would have to serve Fort Dodge for at least five years, or they would have to pay back part of the bonus.

In her report, Anderson summed up the police officer hiring challenge the city faces. She said in 2015, a single civil service exam produced 13 eligible candidates. Recently, she wrote, civil service exams only produce a small number of candidates. A police civil service list approved by the council Monday has three names on it.