Police pact is ‘close’ in Liberty

Staff report

liberty

The township’s talks with the police department’s union are continuing but should be finished soon, said administrator Pat Ungaro.

The Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association and the township have been talking for several months.

Police now have a wage range of $14.98 per hour for a probationary officer to $24.92 in step four of the contract.

Ungaro said he can’t discuss issues that still need to be resolved in the talks.

The township settled with its firefighters, who are represented by the International Association of Firefighters, in February.

A final draft of the road- department contract has not yet become official, Ungaro said Thursday. The department is represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Each department negotiated for three-year contracts. There are 14 full-time firefighters, five road- department employees and 12 patrol officers.

Firefighters received a 4 percent raise in the first year of their new contract and no raises in the second or third years.

They are paying 12 percent of their health-care premiums, up from 10 percent.