Soldotna’s police officers and police clerks have a new employment contract. That’s after city council members ratified the changes this summer and funded them last week. The contract is good for three years and is the product of negotiations between Soldotna city officials and the statewide Public Safety Employees Association.
The agreement is effective retroactively to July and includes an annual two-and-a-half percent raise for the police officer and sergeant pay schedule. The police department’s Clerk II position is also reclassified to a higher range.
The city is keeping its 90-10 health insurance split for employee plans and will pay for a 2.2% cost of living adjustment. That adjustment was already funded through the city budget approved earlier this year. The rest of the contract comes at an additional cost of about $71,109 to the city.
According to the council resolution ratifying the agreement, the two bargaining teams negotiated in June and reached an impasse. The new agreement was reached after mediation in July.
City Manager Janette Bower called the contract “balanced and forward-thinking” in a memo to council members.
On top of raises, the contract also expands the hours during the time of day when a police officer is eligible for higher per-hour pay. And it adds to the types of roles for which officers can receive additional compensation, among other things.
