Finance committee forwards tentative Milwaukee Police Association contract after hours of questions on costs and staffing

Milwaukee — The Finance & Personnel Committee on Nov. 17 moved a substitute resolution to ratify a tentative four‑year agreement between the City of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Police Association (MPA) to the full Common Council, after committee members spent more than an hour pressing city negotiators and budget staff about long‑term costs and implementation.

Cole Fleck, the city’s labor negotiator, told the committee the agreement covers 2023 through 2026 and provides base pay increases structured across the contract: 3.75% in 2023, 3.5% in 2024, 3.75% in 2025 and 3.25% in 2026. Fleck said the contract phases some increases across pay periods, includes no furlough days through 2028, raises uniform and equipment allowances, adds paid parental leave beginning January 2026, and provisions for reclassifying certain crash/accident reconstruction staff and three full‑time release liaison positions.

"This is a four‑year agreement," Fleck said, summarizing key items for committee members and opening the floor to questions.

Alexander Ayala, identified as president of the Milwaukee Police Association, urged approval, saying the association and the city had reached the deal "mutually" and that "my officers have been working without a raise for three years." The MPA president asked the committee to move the item forward so members could receive pay adjustments and labor stability.

The Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) memo in the record and presented by Kathy Brangos drew sharp questions from council members about longer‑term obligations. Brangos told the committee the tentative agreement’s cumulative estimated cost is roughly $50 million over the four years as presented in the file and that Wisconsin Act 12 requires the city to increase sworn staffing from its current authorized level to a higher number over time. "We have until 2034 to hire these officers," Brangos said, warning that hiring to meet Act 12 could add materially to future salary and fringe obligations.

Budget director Nick Kovac and payroll staff told the committee implementation — particularly administering retroactive pay and calculating pension impacts — would be a heavy lift for payroll and comptroller staff and that many cost estimates are based on current payroll multipliers and actuarial assumptions. Kovac said pension effects were calculated using a three‑year rolling average informed by annual actuarial updates.

Several aldermen said the combination of mandated staffing growth under Act 12 and the contract’s pay increases raised concerns about squeezing other city services. "When the required area grows and grows at a large pace, it's something we have to consider," the committee chair said, noting the city faces tradeoffs amid limited revenue options.

Other members focused on operational details: the dollar magnitude of reclassifying liaison positions, whether overtime increases are retroactive to 2023 (staff said yes), and whether the tentative agreement constrains future civilianization of certain roles (city negotiators said it does not alter current authority to civilianize if pursued later).

After open‑session debate and a roll call taken by the clerk, the committee voted to forward the substitute resolution to the Nov. 25 Common Council meeting. The clerk recorded individual Aye votes from committee members who spoke in favor and an abstention by the chair; the item was carried forward with the committee’s recommendation to the full council.

What’s next: The Nov. 25 Common Council will consider final ratification. If the council does not approve the agreement, outside counsel and city negotiators said arbitration proceedings that had been paused could resume.