Richmond’s public safety employees received a holiday gift— bonuses up to $3,000 apiece as a thank you for their service during the pandemic.

City Council cleared the way during a Dec. 13 meeting for a collective $5 million to flow to police officers, firefighters, emergency dispatchers and staff working with troubled youths.

Under the ordinance, a $3,000 bonus went to to full-time employees and a $1,500 bonus to part-time workers of the Richmond Police Department, the Richmond Fire Department, the city Department of Emergency Communications and the city Department of Juvenile Justice.

The Richmond Ambulance Authority’s employees also received similar bonuses. Initially, the bonuses were to go only to those employees in good standing who were employed continuously from the pandemic’s start in March 2020 through Dec. 4, 2021. However, the policy is being modified after KeithAndes, president of Richmond Firefighters Association I.A.F.F. Local 995, raised concern that members who joined the Fire Department in September 2020 and played a big role in the department’s response were being left out.

Lincoln Saunders, the city’s chief administrative officer, assured the council that he would use his authority to award bonuses to badge-wearing employees like the firefighters who had joined later in 2020. However, the ordinance bars bonuses to employees who received a suspension or disciplinary demotion or are still in probationary status.

The council already had accepted Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s recommendation to use federal funds from the American Rescue Plan to pay the bonuses, and the ordinance that passed unanimously formalized that decision.

The mayor and City Council have not sought to award similar bonuses to other city employees who worked through the pandemic to maintain city operations.