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Committee forwards tentative three‑year police contract with annual 7% raises and pension conversations
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Summary
Council committee heard a detailed overview of a tentative 2026–2028 collective bargaining agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police (Capital City Lodge 12): 7% raises each year, increases to retiree Medicare reimbursement and continuation of a $7,500 final‑pay raise; administration said the measures aim to retain and recruit officers, and the committee moved the agreement to the legislative agenda while members raised questions about retiree treatment.
Humphrey read Resolution 35, which would ratify the tentative collective bargaining agreement between the City of Harrisburg and the Fraternal Order of Police, Capital City Lodge 12, covering 2026–2028. Jack Dean, labor counsel for the city, summarized the agreement as a three‑year deal that includes 7% salary increases in 2026, 2027 and 2028, continued $7,500 final‑pay raises, and an increase in Medicare reimbursement for eligible retired officers up to $370 per month.
Dean said the contract aims to improve recruitment and retention and acknowledged the city’s difficulty competing with neighboring municipalities’ pay scales. He said the contract would raise the starting salary to $74,000 by the end of the contract and that a typical five‑year officer would earn about $92,000 under the schedule; he noted the city has lost eight officers to resignations and five to retirement so far this year and reported 103 officers on the force as of an April 14 count cited in the presentation.
Council members asked multiple questions about retiree treatment and letters from recently retired officers seeking pension adjustments or retroactive pay; Dean said revisiting retirees’ situations could require reopening negotiations and that pension issues involve a separate pension board and complex calculations.
Public commenter Tyrone Mike, a former officer who spoke during public comment, said the city must “take care of the retirees” to sustain recruitment and retention and urged the council to ensure promises to retirees are honored.
The committee moved the tentative agreement to the legislative agenda for formal consideration.
Why it matters: the contract affects city payroll, pension liabilities and the size of the police force; council members flagged pension calculations and the treatment of recently retired officers as items requiring follow‑up.
