Budget committee agrees to circulate IAFF contract edits, schedule short follow-up and add item to council agenda

Members of the North College Hill City Council budget and finance committee agreed on a process to conclude negotiations over the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) bargaining agreement and to avoid repeated special meetings.

Madam Chair said staff would circulate a revised draft of the bargaining agreement and asked committee members to review it and provide direct responses by email. The committee agreed that, if questions remain, they would hold a brief public session the following morning so the public would have an opportunity to hear discussion. "We just have to discuss it in the open forum in order for me to add it to council for Monday," the chair said during the meeting.

Members noted that a special meeting notice must list a specific purpose and that the committee’s role is to review and recommend, not to substitute for a full council vote. Several members volunteered to waive posting requirements and to be available at the short follow-up meeting so staff could finalize the version to submit for the council packet. The committee also resolved to add an executive session to Monday's council agenda to allow broader council members to discuss personnel or bargaining-specific confidential details if needed.

The committee set these next steps to meet statutory notice requirements and keep the contract timeline on track before the end of the year: staff will email the changes; members will reply individually; the item will be added to Monday's council agenda; and the committee will hold a short public follow-up meeting the next morning at 08:00 if necessary.