Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014
Celina council approves new police contracts
By William Kincaid
CELINA - City council members on Monday night unanimously approved new three-year contracts with the police union representing sergeants, police officers and dispatchers.
Under the new contracts - one with sergeants and police officers, the other with dispatchers - effective Oct. 1, the employees will receive a wage increase of 2 percent the first two years and 2.5 percent the third year.
Their insurance contribution will increase from 10 percent to 15 percent.
The police employees' last three-year contract, which expires at the end of the month, included no increase in salary the first year, a 1 percent increase the second year and a 2 percent increase the third year. It also reduced employees' insurance contributions from 12 to 10 percent.
Union representative Sgt. Jim Stelzer told the newspaper this morning that the union is satisfied with how the negotiation process worked out.
Council members approved the contracts shortly after coming out of an hour and a half executive session in which they discussed personnel negotiations and pending court action or litigation.
They passed the legislation after suspending the rules, doing away with the need for three public readings.
"Suspension and passage this evening is to expedite this contract and just to keep the process rolling and ... just to expedite the contracts and to ensure that we have continual support of the police department and the dispatchers as well," councilman June Scott said.
"Also to comply with state law," councilman Bill Sell said, explaining council had 30 days to take action on the full tentative agreement reached between the city administration and the union on Sept. 11.
Celina Mayor Jeff Hazel supported the action of council.
"I certainly appreciate that, and I guess I will also add that administration with Clemans Nelson (legal counsel) has been at the table negotiating for some time, so this was not a light decision, this has gone on a while," Hazel said.
"And it's just not a knee-jerk reaction," Scott said.
"This is not a knee-jerk or last-minute decision, this has been many, many hours at the table and negotiations ... to come up with reasonable solutions to getting these done," Hazel said.
"And I would add that council has been informed through executive sessions so we have not been kept in the dark. We're aware of what was happening," Sell said.
