The Prince William County Board of County Supervisors on Oct. 7 ratified an amended collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the International Association of Fire Fighters after county staff presented a multi-year fiscal-impact study.

The agreement — a negotiated “wage reopener” that county negotiators and IAFF members reached this summer — includes structural increases in early-career step values, one-time lump-sum payments for topped-out personnel, new and increased specialty stipends, and a new on-call pay provision. County budget staff said the changes would add roughly $3.0 million to the operating cost in fiscal 2027 and $5.8 million in fiscal 2028; when combined with previously authorized staffing to achieve a 50‑hour work schedule the two-year new-cost estimate rises to about $9.7 million in fiscal 2027.

“Section 2-221 of the county’s collective bargaining ordinance requires a public fiscal-impact presentation before a CBA takes effect,” Senior Deputy County Attorney Megan Kelly said during the meeting. Kelly and Mike Arena of the County Attorney’s Office summarized negotiated contract provisions and legal steps before financial staff presented cost estimates.

Dave Sinclair, director of the Office of Management and Budget, told supervisors the county’s office calculated a cumulative fiscal exposure of roughly $80.9 million when the negotiated amendments are viewed together with earlier agreed staffing additions across a multi-year window; he said the new recurring costs proposed for fiscal 2027 were not included in the board’s adopted five-year plan and would need to be incorporated into the proposed FY-2027 budget.

The amended CBA contains multiple pay changes the county priced out: larger step increases early in the salary scale (4% step increases for steps 1–4 in FY-27, with further adjustments in FY-28), a 3% one-time lump sum for employees at top step in FY-27 (and again in FY-28), a new on-call pay formula, expanded field-training-officer pay, increased technical rescue and hazardous-materials stipends, a new fire marshal stipend, and a referral bonus to aid recruitment. County officials said the structure was negotiated in part to accelerate salary progression for early-career firefighters to help recruitment and retention, and that the full competitive effect depends on adopting a 50‑hour work schedule previously negotiated.

The board debated the fiscal consequences before voting. Supervisors opposed to ratification called the total cost “unsustainable” and urged better use of existing resources; supporters said public-safety recruitment and retention required competitive pay. After discussion the board voted 4 to 2 to ratify the amended CBA; the clerk announced the motion passed with two supervisors recorded as voting no.

The agreement will become enforceable only after the board appropriates the funds in the FY-2027 budget, staff said. County attorneys also noted that the contract’s effective dates and any backpay provisions are conditioned on the ordinance and subsequent appropriation steps.

Outcome and next steps: the board ratified the amended CBA, but county staff must incorporate the new costs into the FY-2027 budget proposal for final appropriation. Officials said they will continue collective-bargaining talks with other employee groups and work to align future market adjustments across the workforce.

Until funds are appropriated, the county cautioned the public that contract ratification is subject to the board’s later budget and appropriation decisions.