He said the Middletown police department trained young officers, then lost them to neighboring cities and townships that offered much higher salaries.
That all changed Tuesday night, he said, when city council unanimously approved two emergency ordinances that provide substantial raises for police officers, sergeants and lieutenants that make them some of the highest paid in the county.
Council authorized a three-year collective bargaining agreement effective from Nov. 1. 2024 through Oct. 31, 2027.
The cost of the raises will increase the city’s 2025 budget by $645,000 — $400,000 for the patrol officers and $245,000 for the supervisors, according to the contracts.
The general fund reserve balance is “sufficient to accommodate” these increases, according to the staff report.
City staff plans to present a supplemental appropriation in the next few months for council’s consideration that will account for these increases and other items, as discussed at the recent council strategic work session.
Jordan said he was “grateful and appreciative” of the confidence city council showed in the police department by approving the ordinances.
Both contracts have been negotiated since October, according to city documents.
The contract will increase patrol officer wages by approximately 8.8% in the first year. The wage increases will also increase pension, BWC premium, and other wage-driven personnel expenses accordingly.
The current 2025 budget already includes a 5% wage increase level compared to 2024. The contract will increase those costs by another 3.8%.
The contract for police division supervisors said the new wage scale accounts for existing compression between the patrol officer wage scale and sergeants and a need to maintain separation between the ranks of sergeant and lieutenant.
The current scale provides for 5% separation between the two ranks. For sergeants, the new scale adjusts the initial step by 37% in the first year of the contract with a 4.5% scale adjustment each of the subsequent years.
The city noted that the large increase in initial step is “a bit misleading” due to existing overlap/compression between current sergeant and patrol scales.
Besides the raises, the contract also contains a $2,200 ratification bonus payment for officers to be paid at the one-year anniversary mark of the ratification of the agreement to those union members employed at time of union ratification of the agreement.
The drug testing provisions of the agreement were modified to specifically include cannabis, according to the contract.
City manager sworn in
Ashley Combs, who was sworn in as city manager Tuesday night by Middletown Municipal Court Judge James Sherron, said the ceremony was more meaningful because her family was in the audience.
Her husband, Kraig, their 2-year-old son, and her parents, Don and Leigh Combs, sat in City Council Chambers for their first time as Combs took the oath of office.
As her family left the chambers after the swearing in ceremony, her son could be heard screaming, “Where is my mommy? I want my mommy.”
She called being chosen by city council an honor.
“I am excited for the future,” she told this news agency after the meeting. “It’s a new chapter, a new change for the city. We have so many great things in the works.”
Combs, 38, has not signed a contract as council awaits the contract being finalized, said council member Paul Lolli.
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