NORMAL — Normal police officers and sergeants will see an increase in pay over the next couple of years after a union contract was approved by the town, along with other benefits for recruiting new officers and retaining others on the force.
In a quick 10-minute meeting, the Normal Town Council on Monday voted unanimously in approving a union contract with the Police Benevolent and Protective Association Unit 22 for a 15% pay increase over the next four years.
Trustees Chemberly Harris and Scott Preston were not present for the vote, but Preston later joined toward the end of the meeting.
The contract includes a 6% increase in 2024, 5% raise in April 2025 and 2% raises in both 2026 and 2027. The 2024 increase will add an additional $450,000 in spending for the Normal Police Department's operating expenses in the town's 2024-25 fiscal year budget.
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Salaries for new police officers will start at $70,613 in the first year and increase to $77,140 when the contract expires in April 2027, according to council documents. Salaries for new police sergeants will start at $113,160 in the first year and increase to $123,619 when the contract expires.
In addition to the wage increase, the town was awarded a state grant for officer retention in the form bonuses ranging from $700 to $1,000 per officer. The town will distribute those bonuses in accordance with the grant requirements and will guarantee bonus payments in the event that the grant funds are not received, according to council documents.
Other provisions includes increased residency limits from 25 miles to 60 miles — matching the residency requirements for the town's nonunion employees — and increased paid time off from 72 to 88 hours per year as well as two additional holidays.
According to council documents, the Normal Police Department consists of 86 sworn police officers, 11 full-time staff and just under four full-time civilian staff.
The union has represented officers and sergeants in the Normal since 1987, and this contract will be the town's 14th agreement with the union.
In other news, the council approved the following actions:
- waived the formal bid process and accepted the quotes from Walker Process Equipment, of Aurora, for $184,650 and Automatic Systems Co., of St. Paul, Minnesota, for $11,968 for equipment to rehabilitate the water department's clarifier #2;
- accepted bids and awarded a contract to all-weather courts for the Ironwood Park tennis and pickleball court resurfacing project for $60,874;
- waived the formal bidding process and approved the acquisition of furniture from Widmer Interiors for $53,243 through a joint purchasing program;
- waived the formal bidding process and accepted a quote from Minuteman, of Tinley Park, to purchase security cameras, Genetec licenses, installation and integration services as well as conduit installation and wiring for security cameras through Cell Electric, of Bloomington, for a combined project cost of $175,489;
- amended the purchasing policy manual concerning the purchase of software and cloud-based services to allow the city manager to approve contract renewals when the price does not exceed 10% of the previous contract.
The council also tabled a vote to authorize support for the Small Business Development Center so revisions could be made. It will be back in front of the council during its May 6 meeting.
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