Pay raises for police officers and firefighters that Richmond City Council worked hard to provide are being held up and will not be included in city paychecks to be distributed Friday, the Free Press has been informed.

As it now stands, public safety employees might have to wait until the first paycheck in September to receive the raises. However, no one would lose money as the increases would be retroactive to July 8.

The problem: A new council requirement that requires Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration to seek permission to transfer larger amounts of money from one area of a department’s budget to another.

The money for the beefed up paychecks is now stuck in a lump sum, and budget officials have advised the administration that council’s approval is needed to transfer the extra personnel dollars to the police and fire departments to cover the increases in the paychecks.

The solution: Have the council pass an emergency ordinance to authorize the transfer. The difficulty: The council is to be in recess until September.

Mayor Stoney, who learned about the problem Monday while talking with Chief Durham, issued a request Wednesday that City Council hold a special meeting to vote on the budget transfer.

A special council meeting already is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 21, to introduce legislation. Unless something changes, that seems the most likely date for the issue to be handled.

The snafu is being labeled as an “unintended consequence” of the new policy City Council imposed in approving the 2017-2018 budget that went into effect July 1.

Mayor Stoney opposed the new policy.