Youngstown council approves pact with ranking city police officers

YOUNGSTOWN — City council approved a three-year contract today with the police ranking-officers union that includes no increase in their base pay as well as reductions in various financial perks members receive.

The contract provides some job security for members of the Youngstown Police Ranking Officers Unit in troubled financial times for the city.

The contract includes a provision that the city won’t lay off any of the union’s members unless the state puts Youngstown in fiscal emergency.

Reductions in the union’s membership could occur only through retirements and resignations, or firings for just cause.

About a dozen ranking officers are expected to retire by next year through a special pension program offered by the state.

City administrators are working on the 2010 general fund budget that has a deficit of about $3 million to $3.5 million.

The work on the budget will continue through this weekend and be presented Monday to city council’s finance committee for discussion.

For the complete story, see Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com