Seymour firefighters and police officers will receive 3 percent pay raises this coming year thanks to contracts approved Thursday by the board of works and public safety.
Detective Sgt. Greg O’Brien with the Seymour Police Department collective bargaining team briefly discussed that contract during the board’s meeting and said there were no other changes to the existing contract besides the pay increase.
Fire Chief Brad Lucas said the contract with firefighters represented by Seymour Professional Firefighters Union Local 577 also was the same as the contract with police with the exception of a $200 increase in the health incentive.
“They had asked for $400,” Lucas said.
Mayor Craig Luedeman said he was happy with firefighters’ contract.
“It is a good contract,” he said.
In an unrelated matter, Police Chief Bill Abbott said the city’s contract to provide school resource officers to Seymour Community School Corp. is up, and some changes have been made.
He said the city has been supplying two officers to the school, but school officials have asked for a third officer and have agreed to pay the city $195,000 for those officers.
Abbott said $65,000 would cover most of the expenses for three officers, and he would be back after the first of the year for approval for that third school resource officer.
Luedeman said he wanted more time to consider the contract to make sure the city was getting the “best bang for our buck” out of the school system.
In another matter, the board approved Abbott’s request to allow Sgt. Jason Alberring to take a voluntary reduction in rank to corporal for moving to day shift.
Cpl. Brian Moore, who works day shift, also will be promoted to sergeant on the night shift working on the street and replace Alberring. The changes were backdated to Dec. 9 since that was the beginning of the first pay period for 2019 for the police department.
City engineer Nathan Frey also received approval for a design contract with FPBH Inc. for the replacement of a culvert at the entrance to the parking lot at Freeman Field Recreation Area on the city’s south side.
Luedeman said the project is badly needed because of the loss of some of the area around the culvert.
“We have to do something,” he said. “We can’t wait much longer.”