Powell police agree to 18-month wage freeze

Below is a summary/article from the Delaware Gazette on September 20, 2011 regarding the Powell Police Agreements.
Powell police agree to 18-month wage freeze

MELISSA MACKEY
Staff Writer

Powell City Council has approved 3-year contracts for unionized police officers and sergeants.

Powell council members unanimously approved both contracts Tuesday night.

Under the agreement, the city’s 12 unionized police officers will earn annual salaries between $47,917 to $69,272. Powell’s police sergeants will make $78,778 through July 2011, then $80,558 in July 2012 and $82,529 in July 2013. The contracts include an 18-month wage freeze, then a 1-percent wage increase in January 2012 and July 2012 and a 2-percent increase in July 2013.

Powell has never had a pension pickup where the city pays a portion of the employees’ pension, said Steve Lutz, Powell city manager.

The city started its negotiations process by doing a wage comparison of other Central Ohio cities to see where Powell stacks up.

In a wage comparison of Central Ohio patrol officers, Powell ranked 10th out of 15 with a base wage of $69,272.
Bexley tops the list with a base police offi¬cer wage of $76,277. Grandview Heights is at the bottom of the list at $64,296. A Delaware officer makes $64,320.

When comparing salaries for sergeants, Powell ranks third lowest of those used in the comparative analysis, or 13th out of 15, at $78,778.

The wage comparison of Central Ohio police sergeants shows that Dublin tops the list at $88,530 with Grandview Heights at the bottom at $73,810. A Delaware sergeant makes $79,223.

Other departments in the comparison are Columbus, Gahanna, Grove City, Hilliard, New Albany, Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington, Westerville, Whitehall and Worthington.

Also under the contract, insurance contribution cap percentages for both officers and sergeants will increase each year. The current contribution is 7 percent. With the contract signing, the contribution will increase to 9 percent this year, then 11 percent in July 2012 and 13 percent in July 2013.

Currently, insurance coverage is $50 for single and $125 for family; by July 2013, Powell’s unionized police insurance coverage will be $90 for single and $220 for family.

City staff meets with its third and final union for public service employees next month, Lutz said.