GREENFIELD — The Greenfield City Council has given final approval to a proposal to raise pay for the city’s police officers and firefighters, effective July 10.
The council voted unanimously at its meeting on Wednesday, June 23, to give police officers a pay bump of $4,500 per year, coupled with one of $3,875.50 for firefighters.
Council member Mitch Pendlum thanked the public safety employees for their willingness to participate in a negotiation process with the city.
“I hope this is a new beginning for all of you,” Pendlum said. “I know it’s been a long battle to get where you’re at… You guys deserve more than we can give you at this time, but we’ll do what we can. I know I’m speaking for the whole council in saying thank you for what you’ve done, and your patience.”
The pay raises will increase the city’s annual budget by a total of $475,772.71: $233,973 for the police raises and $241,799.71 for the firefighters. The amount was arrived at through a negotiation between the departments’ heads, union leaders, and city officials. Mayor Chuck Fewell said it is a sustainable addition to the city budget.
Greenfield Fire Territory Deputy Chief Jason Horning said the council and mayor, along with the city’s clerk-treasurer, financial adviser and HR representative, worked hard to come to an agreement that worked for everyone.
“In my 26 years of being at the fire department, I would consider it an unprecedented act by the fire department to make sure that we’re retaining brilliant men and women to protect our city, and thankfully we have a lot of those in the department,” Horning said.
Horning said the process of negotiating for a raise started when he and former Police Chief Jeff Rasche asked Fewell to consider it in July of last year. He’s gratified to see it come to fruition and said the department has already received an increase in applications for an open position that he attributes to positive buzz about the pay raise.
“When good things or bad things happen, it spreads like wildfire throughout all the departments,” he said. “Good things are happening here, and a lot of people know about it.”
Tony Bratcher, president of the Hancock County Professional Firefighters’ Association, also participated in negotiations. Bratcher, who works for the Sugar Creek Township Fire Department, said a win for Greenfield firefighters is a positive thing for all departments in the county.
“I hear Greenfield on the radio all the time, and I can assure you they’re the best of the best,” he said. “I’m honored and proud to support them and to represent them… Labor and management worked together.”
Greenfield Police Department Chief Brian Hartman said the city has a great group of police officers.
“The things that they do on a daily basis, coming to work every day, putting their lives on the line, make the city of Greenfield a better place to live; a better place to conduct business; and a better place to visit,” Hartman said.
Though the negotiation process for a raise was a long one for Greenfield public safety employees, it mostly took place in private meetings. That’s in contrast to the ongoing process for Hancock County sheriff’s deputies, in which a series of public conversations between Sheriff Brad Burkhart and the county’s council and commissioners has so far failed to produce a consensus or final vote on how much of a raise deputies should receive, or when it should take effect.
Burkhart said on Thursday, June 24, that he was hoping the city’s decision would help the county come to a conclusion as well. If the city’s pay rate is going up without the county deciding to do the same in the near future, he said, “that’s going to just make it that much more difficult for our guys and gals.”
The sheriff said he’s hoping for the county council to move ahead with a proposal for a pay matrix that would give deputies an 18% raise. That’s lower than the 24% raise proposed by the county commissioners, but Burkhart said it would be a good start.
“It just needs to be to a place where the deputies feel comfortable,” he said.