08-19-01 Council Special Meeting Minutes

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SPECIAL MEETING AUGUST 19, 2001 Mayor Luecke stated that state law requires the Common Council to set police salaries before August 20th and that is why this special meeting is being held. Mayor Luecke clarified some of changes in the second substitute bill. He noted that salaries for the Chief of Police, Division Chiefs, and Captains have been inserted. Those salaries reflect a four per cent (4 %) annual increase each year and years 2003, 2004, and 2005 reflect a shifting of $400.00 from the cash allowance to their salary. Also, some corrections were made to health insurance to reflect what is actual practice. The previous language indicated that there were twenty -six (26) times per year that a health insurance premium was deducted from a paycheck when in fact it is twenty -four (24) times per year. A section regarding flex time has been removed because it is no longer applicable. Those were the changes that were made to the second substitute bill before the Council at this time. Mayor Luecke stated that he regrets that the City has not yet reached an agreement with the FOP but he is pleased that the City has presented a final offer which will be presented to the FOP membership for a vote. He noted that the salary ordinance presented today is based on the City's July 11th offer to the FOP. If there is no ratification of the final offer the current contract rolls over for a one (1) year period of time. As reflected in the July 11th offer to the FOP there are some changes that had to be made. Insurance premiums could not change in 2002. They could not begin a shifting of the cash allowance from cash allowance to salary until 2003. When the final offer was presented to the FOP and they indicated that they did not have sufficient time to take a vote, the City advised that if they do have a positive ratification vote by August 27th the City would propose to include those higher numbers from the final offer into the salary ordinance. It was suggested that that could happen on August 27th. However, in reviewing Council rules, that cannot happen on the 27th because there needs to be first reading, second and third readings of the corrections that would be made. As soon as notification is received from the FOP by August 27th that there has been a ratification then the City would begin the process to have those higher numbers inserted into the salary ordinance. The FOP was also told that if there is no vote taken or if there is not a ratification by August 27th then the final offer is withdrawn and the salary ordinance that is passed today will stand. , Mayor Luecke noted that this ordinance sets compensation for four (4) years for police officers with raises ranging from 4.35% to 5% a year. It also shifts $400.00 of cash allowance to the salary each year except in the year 2002. This total of $1,200.00 shifted does not take money from any officer but rather it puts in on the base pay where it belongs so that it can compute for overtime pay and pension. For first class officers who are in 2001 earning $31,275.00 as a base salary by the year 2005 that salary would increase to $38,806.00. For Corporals currently at $36,100.00 by the year 2005 that salary would increase to $44,5.99,00. For Sergeants currently earning $37,500.00 that would increase to $46,280 and for Lieutenants currently earning $39,150.00 it would increase to $48,260.00. On the first class salary that is an increase of $7,531.00 in the salary for a twenty -four per cent (24 %) increase. For Corporals it is a $8,499.00 increase if you subtract the transfer of the $1,200.00 from cash allowance to the salary it is $7,299.00 new dollars for Corporals. For Sergeants an $8,780.00 increase which includes $7,580.00 new dollars. For Lieutenants a $9,110.00 dollar increase which includes $7,910.00 in new. dollars. For retirees the increase in the pension base means that their pensions would increase depending on longevity and whether they are receiving between fifty per cent (50 %) or seventy -four (74 %) per cent of the base salary. Retirees would see an increase from $3,765.00 to $5,573.00 dollars. The Mayor noted that there are some individuals that have indicated that they felt that the City was not proposing any raise at all for the officers and that is not correct. The City feels that this is a substantial offer. If a first class officer in 2005 had stayed at the same salary for the four (4) years of the salary ordinance the difference for that officer when you look at both salary and cash allowance is ($15;000.00) in that officer's pay. That is $15,000.00 additional dollars over four (4) years. For Corporals it is an additional $17,000.00 over four (4) years. For Sergeants it an additional $18,000.00 over four (4) years and for Lieutenants it is an additional $18,800.00 over four (4) years. Those are new dollars for these officers and that is a substantial pay increase. Additionally, as part of this salary ordinance there are increased insurance premiums that officers would pay over this four (4) year period of time. For an