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Board approves five-year police contract amid calls for more public review
Summary
The Newberry Township supervisors approved a five-year police collective bargaining agreement with annual 4% raises referenced publicly; at least one supervisor and several residents said the contract was not adequately posted or explained before the vote.
The Newberry Township Board of Supervisors voted to approve the police collective bargaining agreement during Monday's meeting after public commenters raised concerns about transparency and document availability.
Several residents, including Tony Miller and Jane Horman, told the board the proposed contract had not been posted for public review before the vote and asked for a clear cost analysis and timeline. During public comment the increases were described as "4% a year" and the contract described as a five-year agreement.
A supervisor who spoke during the meeting said he had "an issue with it" and objected to the process used to approve the contract. "I think it should be the labor attorney should be meet with us, all five of us, discuss everything, discuss it with Jane, did the cost analysis," the supervisor said, adding that in past negotiations the board had conducted a joint session with the labor attorney and the township treasurer to review cost implications before voting.
Township officials said the CBA had been negotiated during prior executive sessions and that the board had received a summary from the labor attorney by email two days before the meeting. The board moved and approved the CBA on the agenda; the transcript records the motion and passage but does not provide a roll-call tally by supervisor names or a line-item cost breakdown in the public record.
The contract was described in public comment as a five-year agreement with yearly 4% increases for patrol staff; board members did not provide additional salary tables during the vote. Officials said documents referenced in executive session and attorney correspondence will remain part of the administrative record and that detailed budget impacts would be provided to the treasurer and at subsequent meetings as requested.
The board did not indicate a date for publication of the full contract in the meeting record; public commenters asked the board to make the document available for review prior to votes on future labor agreements.
