City Council agreed Monday to a new four-year contract with the police union in Ocean City.
In a 7-0 vote, Council approved a collective bargaining agreement with Ocean City Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local No. 61 that calls for the following annual salary increases:
- Year 1: 1.5 percent
- Year 2: 1.25 percent
- Year 3: 1.25 percent
- Year 4: 1.25 percent
The agreement also requires police officers to pay higher co-payments in their health insurance plan. It is effective Jan. 1, 2015, through Dec. 31, 2018.
The PBA agreement, which affects 56 officers, sets the tone for ongoing city’s negotiations with four other labor unions (including firefighters and municipal employees) whose contracts are expiring.
Councilman Pete Guinosso argued for more transparency during labor negotiations — letting citizens know what’s in the works.
“If you start negotiating out in the public, the taxpayers will lose,” Mayor Jay Gillian responded.
He asked council to trust his administration to do the legwork.
“We got an amazing deal here,” he said.
Local 61 President Bob Koob said it was a “very amicable negotiation, relatively quick and painless.”
He thanked his contract committee chairman, Dennis Jones, and said Chief Chad Callahan supported the agreement.
He also said Gillian was “a very integral part of this” — along with former Business Administrator Mike Dattilo and City Solicitor Dottie McCrosson.
“We really worked well together,” Koob said. “We’re not out to gouge the taxpayer, and we know we have to work within the 2 percent cap.”
He said the ability not to have to use outside attorneys also saved money for taxpayers.
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In a separate vote at Monday’s public meeting, City Council agreed to pay Czar Engineering of Egg Harbor Township $10,000 for a “due diligence study” of the police station building. A former school, the century-old structure will be inspected for structural, safety and code-compliance issues. The study could be a precursor to a renewed effort to find an updated space for the department.
