LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Henderson families expressed gratitude and awe for firefighters and officers during a Tuesday night event, but the police union said the same appreciation is lacking from city officials.

The City of Henderson welcomed neighbors to Water Street Plaza for National Night Out, a law enforcement celebration, but officials and representatives from the police union went back and forth on pay negotiations which have boiled over. The union hiring an electronic advertisement truck to display claims the city is “broke.”

“The city is not broke,” Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero said. “There’s a difference between being broke and being fiscally responsible with the resources we have, and those resources are dwindling.”

Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero (KLAS)

Romero pointed to the financial strain as an obstacle not unique to Henderson but rather one experienced across the state and nation.

“We have an obligation to protect our taxpayer dollars and make sure that we are not spending them unwisely or inappropriately,” she said. “We need to make sure that we can that we’re not falling to some knee-jerk reaction to maybe increase wages, and then a year from now, having to lay off the people that are in the departments. That’s not something we want to do.”

Public safety makes up 60 percent of the city’s general funds, according to Romero, who reiterated a priority to support proper policing.

The City of Henderson welcomed neighbors to Water Street Plaza for National Night (KLAS)

“I think the city is one of the safest cities in America,” she said. “It will stay that way because of the amazing men and women in our fire department and our police department that will not change, and we will get through this.”

“Going woke, claim to be broke”

On the other side of the outdoor event, police union members wore matching shirts claiming officials were “paving over police,” a phrase meant to bring attention to funding prioritized towards Boulder Highway Reimagine as compared to police wages.

“Most Henderson residents see time and time again, we have the money to repave roads,” Charles Hedrick, president of the Henderson Police Officers Association, said. “The city doesn’t have the money to pay their police comparable wages to other departments within Nevada.”

Hedrick and his fellow officers stood at their booth for the event not far from an advertisement truck which around the plaza displaying “Henderson’s going woke, claim to be broke, but won’t prioritize your police,” and also “Underpaid, understaffed, ignored, this is how Henderson treats its police.”

Officers stood at their booth for the event not far from an advertisement truck which around the plaza displaying “Henderson’s going woke, claim to be broke, but won’t prioritize your police,” (KLAS)

“The City Council loves to tote the successes of the police department while ignoring the hard work that they do and won’t pay them a fair wage for that,” Hedrick said. “They like to say that the City of Henderson is ‘premier’ and that we provide premier services. Why not compensate us at a premier wage?”

Henderson’s new police chief, Reggie Rader, visited the police union members and shook hands with their leadership remarking about the event. He then spoke with 8 News Now about his reaction to the ongoing contract negotiations.

Rader touted a new 40-person academy, violent crime down by 17% and vehicle fatalities down over 50% as reasons residents should continue to feel safe even amid negotiations.

“I don’t think any other agency in town can come close to those numbers,” he said. “It’s because our cops care. It’s because the city cares the things we put in place, as far as infrastructure, all that stuff works to make this the safer city, not just a police effort alone, but a whole city effort.”

The back and forth between city officials and police union members was described as common, according to Rader, who pointed to his 27 years of law enforcement experience.

Henderson’s new police chief, Reggie Rader (KLAS)

“I’m not going to be upset or happy about it. It’s just a process,” he said. “I’m going to let that process play out. What’s important for me to focus on is the law enforcement focus that our cops are doing every single day.”

Police union representatives said they are due to meet with city officials on Monday to continue talks. Rader is also expected to provide his first quarterly report to the city council at the next meeting.