Monticello council adopts three-year police labor agreement with pay and leave changes

The Monticello City Council approved Resolution 20 25-62 on Sept. 8 to adopt a three-year labor agreement between the city and the Fraternal Order of Police bargaining unit, covering Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2028.

The agreement sets no base pay increase for 2026, then 3% increases on Jan. 1, 2027, and Jan. 1, 2028; raises the base starting hourly wage for new police hires from $21.10 to $31.25; adds 12-hour shift language; increases shift selection from once per year to twice per year; increases personal leave from 16 hours to 40 hours; and limits unpaid administrative leave to seven calendar days except where an arrest involves an offense that would be decertifiable under section 6/1 of the Illinois Police Training Act.

City staff recommended approval at the meeting and described the negotiations as cooperative. The agreement also adds language referencing the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act, adds overtime language tied to the 12-hour shift schedule, updates uniform and equipment provisions (Appendix E), allows email as an acceptable form of communication between the parties, and adjusts longevity pay in Appendix A.

Council members asked clarifying questions about who would receive the new starting wage and about timing; staff confirmed officers hired before Jan. 1, 2026, already earn at least the $31.25 base described for new hires. The resolution was presented as recommended for adoption; the roll call in the meeting recorded the measure as passed.

The resolution implements contract terms for the duration shown; the council did not attach additional conditions in the meeting record. Further implementation steps (payroll adjustments, administrative changes) fall to city administration and the police department to execute under the adopted contract.