Carmel council approves new police and fire contracts, adds FOP members to insurance advisory committee

The Carmel Common Council on Feb. 17 approved updates to the city’s agreements with its police and fire bargaining units aimed at improving recruitment, retention and pay parity.

Councilors amended and approved Resolution CC-02032508, which addresses the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) wage-and-benefits agreement, and separately introduced and approved a contract with the Carmel Professional Firefighters Association covering Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2026. Both measures passed by voice vote, 9-0.

The mayor’s office told councilors the two contracts share four objectives: provide competitive pay and benefits, improve recruitment and retention, remove disincentives to promotion in pay matrices, and untie sworn pay from civilian step-and-grade systems. City leaders said the changes emphasize higher pay tiers for master patrol and master firefighter levels and include modest vacation adjustments based on longevity.

Councilors debated and then approved an amendment to the FOP resolution that removes the prior insurance-benefits paragraph and replaces it with language creating an insurance advisory committee. The amendment specifies that the city will determine committee membership but that two seats will be filled by members of FOP Lodge 185, selected by that lodge’s executive board; it also sets an initial request-for-information (RFI) schedule and includes FOP designees in plan design and review. The amendment was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote before the council approved the overall resolution as amended.

Police and fire officials and union leaders addressed the council. Police Chief Drake Sterling said the department currently has 13 sworn vacancies. Blake Bridal, president of Carmel Lodge 185, told the council the lodge’s internal committee spent 18 months compiling national and local data and prioritized retention and expanding the lateral-entry program to recognize up to 10 years of prior service. Sean Sutton, president of the Carmel Firefighters Union, said the firefighters’ contract used the union’s regular member survey process and thanked city negotiators.

Votes at a glance - Amendment to Resolution CC-02032508 (adds insurance advisory committee language): motion moved by Councilor Taylor; second recorded; voice vote passed 9-0 (Menard, Locke, Ayers, Snyder, Austin, Taylor, Worrell, Joshi, Green — ayes). - Approval of Resolution CC-02032508 as amended (police contract): motion moved and seconded; voice vote passed 9-0. - Addition and approval of Resolution CC-02-17-25-003 (firefighters’ contract effective 01/01/2025–12/31/2026): introduced as an agenda add-on, moved and seconded, voice vote passed 9-0.

The council and mayor said the pay changes have already generated interest from lateral candidates and produced positive recruitment signals. City staff provided matrices and appendices for council review. No changes to the contracts’ effective dates were announced.

Council members and union leaders said the insurance-advisory language is intended to increase transparency and provide labor representatives input into health-plan design and periodic reviews. The amendment schedules the first formal RFI in February 2026 and directs inclusion of the two FOP-selected committee members in 2025 plan design and review activities.

The council recorded no abstentions or dissenting votes on the three recorded actions. The resolutions as amended and adopted will be included in official minutes and the city’s contract records.