Struthers OKs three-year police contract with patrolmen raises

By Sarah Lehr | January 6, 2017 at 12:02a.m.

STRUTHERS

City council has approved a three-year police contract, which includes raises for full-time patrolmen.

The administration reached the agreement with Lodge 41 of the Fraternal Order of Police union.

The city employs 11 full-time patrolmen who earned between $17 and $21 an hour in 2016 depending on experience level.

Under the new contract, patrolmen will receive base raises of 2 percent this year, another 2 percent in 2018 and 1 percent in 2019.

“I think it was fair,” said Councilman-at-large Michael Patrick, who chairs the police and fire committee. “The police really didn’t ask for much.”

“We’re really happy to have reached a fair and equitable agreement, and we felt that the wage increase was fair and equitable for both sides,” Mayor Terry Stocker said. “We were really overwhelmed by being able to come to the table and resolve any issues.”

Stocker said administrators are in the process of negotiating another contract for the police department’s captains’ unit. The department has four captains.

In 2016, the city budgeted about $1 million for the police department out of a $10 million total budget.

Last month, council approved just more than $3.5 million in temporary appropriations to cover the first quarter of this year.

The next regular council meeting will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday with caucus at 6:15 p.m in city hall, 6 Elm St.