Yelm council approves three-year contract with police sergeants and officers guild

The Yelm City Council on Tuesday authorized Mayor DePinto to sign a collective bargaining agreement between the City of Yelm and the Yelm Police Sergeants and Officers Guild covering 2025 through 2027.

The agreement, presented to council by a staff member, includes a 5.5% general wage adjustment for 2025 and market and general wage adjustments for 2026 and 2027 (3% in each year); a 1.5% market wage adjustment for 2025 also was listed. It also eliminates the lowest salary step and restructures steps so the department moves from a seven-step to a five-step-equivalent scale over two years.

The contract revises administrative and work rules: investigative interview notice increases from 48 to 72 hours; promotional seniority is clarified so promoted officers reset seniority for shift and vacation bidding within the new rank but restore prior rank seniority if they return; and regular scheduling is capped at 2,080 hours per year. The agreement changes overtime calculations so paid leave such as vacation or sick leave counts as hours worked when determining overtime eligibility. The contract also expands sick leave accruals and authorizes up to two full shifts per year for personal leave in place of a previous 16-hour limit.

Monetary and benefit changes include an increase in clothing allowance (from $1,100 to $1,500 for incumbents; new hires receive $2,200 the first year and $1,500 thereafter), step and accrual adjustments for vacation and longevity, higher instructor premiums, and adjustments to retention pay percentages at multiple service milestones. The sergeant step 3 pay rate was raised to 18% above the top officer step. Retroactive wage increases apply to unit members who remained employed at the time of ratification; the agreement excludes those separated for cause.

Council member Richardson moved to authorize the mayor to sign the agreement; the motion carried with the council voting verbally in favor.

Council discussion recorded in the meeting focused on the bargaining timeline and ratification: bargaining opened in April 2024, included five bargaining sessions and four mediations, and membership ratified the contract on May 23, 2025. The presenting staff member said the contract had been reviewed by counsel and reviewed previously in the finance committee.

The contract is effective for calendar years 2025–2027. Implementation tasks such as payroll adjustments and retroactive payments were described by staff but no separate council direction or follow-up timeline was adopted during the meeting.