Liberty Lake, police guild reach tentative three-year contract; council will consider adoption Oct. 21

City staff and the Liberty Lake Police Guild presented a tentative three-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) at the Oct. 7 council meeting and said they will return a finalized, council-ready contract for consideration on Oct. 21.

City negotiators and the guild said the agreement replaces the contract that expires Dec. 31, 2025. The key features disclosed during the presentation included: schedule flexibility (the department will remain on 12-hour rotations but will provide the chief and guild additional scheduling options), overtime and callback clarifications with additional premium pay for holiday/extended overtime work, a move from flat-rate shift premium pay to percentage-based shift differentials weighted to better compensate graveyard shifts, an increase in the annual uniform allowance to $1,200, a revised ammunition distribution policy that reduces the number of individually issued practice boxes, and a three-tier specialty-pay structure (basic, moderate, high liability) for positions such as range instructor and K-9 officer.

Guild leadership said membership stands at about 20 officers. Officer Kelly Jensen, president of the Liberty Lake Police Guild, said the negotiations were “civil” and that the new language is intended to help staffing and retention. The guild and city staff said the new agreement includes a policy to offer overtime to off-duty volunteers before asking other shifts to rearrange schedules to cover vacancies, a change aimed at avoiding consecutive staffing shortfalls. City staff also said the agreement will provide a one‑time current-employee credit for prior service when appropriate and memorializes procedures already used in hiring.

On compensation details presented publicly: the city and guild described longevity and education incentives (tiered percentages for years of service and education), adjustments to shift differential to better incentivize night work, and specialty pay for higher-liability assignments (the example high-liability items discussed included K-9 and potential regional air or dive team duties). The guild proposed a $7,500 line-of-duty survivor benefit to be added to the contract; city staff said the figure was proposed conservatively and could be adjusted in future bargaining rounds.

Several council members asked questions about staffing graveyard shifts and the public-safety rationale for stronger incentives. Chiefs and officers explained that night shift work produces higher absenteeism and turnover risk and that incentives aim to sustain consistent staffing and training coverage.

The council did not vote on the contract on Oct. 7. City staff and guild leadership asked the council to place the tentative agreement on the Oct. 21 meeting for formal consideration and a possible adoption vote. If the council approves the final agreement, it would take effect Jan. 1, 2026. The city said it will provide the full agreement to the council in advance of that meeting.

Ending: The guild and city staff characterized the negotiations as cooperative. The council will see the full agreement and formal ordinance/contract on Oct. 21 for possible adoption.