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County administration supports two firefighter pay measures covering contract and specialty pay
Summary
Administration urged approval of a two-year collective bargaining agreement with IAFF Local 2000 (CB47) and a related pay-plan amendment for specialty pay for fire management staff (CB48); witnesses described negotiated COLAs and estimated fiscal impacts.
County administration testified in favor of two related measures affecting Howard County firefighters and fire management staff during the council's June legislative public hearing.
Jamar Harry, deputy chief administrative officer, said the negotiated collective bargaining agreement with Howard County Professional Fire Fighters Association, Local 2000 (Council Bill 47-2025), would run from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. The agreement includes a 1% across-the-board cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) effective July 1, 2025, a 3% COLA effective Jan. 1, 2026, and a 4% COLA effective Jan. 1, 2027. Harry said the fiscal impact is approximately $1.6 million for FY2026 and $2.3 million for FY2027.
Harry also testified in support of Council Bill 48-2025, a pay-plan amendment implementing specialty pay provisions for fire management employees that reflect negotiated provisions in the Local 2000 agreement. He said proposed amendments include a language fluency premium for management employees, an annual premium for medical duty officers, and $250 increases in specialty operations pay and to the fire marshal's office.
Harry told the council that the COLA scales included in the county budget had been amended to align with the negotiated scales, and that it is not uncommon for formal ratification of agreements to occur after the budget process. He said the bills include provisions that resolve conflicting provisions between the negotiated memorandum and the county code or employee manual.
Next steps: Both measures were presented for public hearing; no final vote was recorded at the hearing.
