Councilors described an ongoing collective bargaining effort with the Public Safety Officers Union, saying the town offered a "highly competitive wage package" and proposed pension reforms that are still under consideration. The mayor and vice mayor asked for the union's favorable review but said details remain constrained by collective-bargaining confidentiality and advice from counsel and the town manager.

"We have rolled the mill rate back ... Thanks again for all of the hard work," the mayor said in the meeting when summarizing budget and compensation priorities. The mayor added the wage proposal and a suggested repurposing of funds for pension reform were presented to the union; the council did not adopt or approve changes to pension rules at the meeting and described the proposals as under negotiation.

Assistant Chief Ed Reyer provided the public safety report, saying patrol officers participated in a Southern Slowdown traffic-safety initiative between July 14 and 19 that resulted in 35 traffic stops and 37 total warning citations during 25 enforcement details. "Traffic crashes are down," Reyer said, noting recent crashes were minor and that the last roadway crash with minor injuries dated to December 1. Reyer also reported the public safety building construction is about 90 days from completion.

Councilors thanked public-safety personnel in the audience for their work and reiterated that collective-bargaining details and pension-reform proposals will continue through the bargaining process. The town manager and town attorney advised the council that confidentiality and procedural limits constrain how much detail could be disclosed during active negotiations.