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Committee forwards three-year patrolmen's contract to full council after presentation
Summary
The budget committee was briefed on a ratified three-year contract with the Lawrence Police Patrolmen's Association that includes stepped cost-of-living increases, a higher clothing allowance and a requirement that officers use personal cell phones for department apps; the union and administration asked the council to review the contract at full council.
The Lawrence City Budget & Finance Committee on June 9 heard a presentation on a ratified three-year contract between the city and the Lawrence Police Patrolmen's Association covering July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2028. CAFO Ramona Salvajos told the committee the agreement was ratified by the union and outlined pay and benefit changes that administration recommends the full council review.
Salvajos said the contract sets a total cost-of-living increase of 7.5 percentage points over the term: a 3.0% increase effective 07/01/2025, 2.25% on 07/01/2026 and 2.25% on 07/01/2027. She said officers with 29 or more years' service will receive a 5% step increase, intended to align those steps with the superior officers' bargaining unit. The contract raises the clothing allowance from $1,200 to $2,000 and adds a required personal cell phone for department-related applications; the change makes officers responsible for procuring and using a personal device for work apps.
David Moyan, vice president of the Patrolmen's Association, told the committee the union had negotiated for roughly 16 months and ratified the agreement after numerous sessions. Moyan said the department currently has 28 vacancies and that overtime costs are driven primarily by those staffing shortfalls rather than private "detail" work, which is handled in a separate account and generates a city administrative fee on certain private details.
Councilors questioned how the contract changes would affect overtime costs and whether increases such as the clothing allowance had not been raised in many years; Salvajos said the last clothing-allowance increase was in 2007 and that detail rates were last raised in 2013 or 2020, depending on the rate. Councilor Mark LaPlante asked about body-worn cameras; Salvajos said body cameras were not part of this round of negotiations but that the city would continue to consider funding, storage and staffing implications in future bargaining.
Committee members moved to forward the contract summary and materials to the full City Council as a committee report for further review. The motion, made by Councilor Mark LaPlante and seconded by Council President Giovanni Rodriguez, carried on roll call.
