New Police Contract Becomes Official In Vernon

VERNON, CT — The Vernon Town Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a four-year contract with the Vernon Police Association, the union that represents Vernon police officers.

The contract covers the period July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2026 and gives the cops a 3 percent wage increase in each year.

Also, $3,000 will be added to the top step of the pay scale, effective Oct. 11, 2023.

As part of what town officials called a recruitment and retention strategy, starting Aug. 1, 2024, the bottom two steps of the pay scale will be eliminated. This will result in a "significant increase in starting pay" for new officers and enable them to reach the top step of the pay scale in two years.

Any new officers hired "from this point on" will have their pay adjusted accordingly, town officials said.

The union has ratified the agreement, but a union representative could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

"I am pleased the union and town administration were able to come together and reach an agreement that serves the best interests of our community," Mayor Daniel Champagne said. Champagne is a former Vernon police officer.

Under the terms of the contract, a police officer hired "today" with a high school diploma would have a starting salary of $68,036. On July 1, 2024, that starting pay increases to $70,077, and a month later, on August 1, 2024, it increases again to $82,935. The officer is also eligible for a step increase on his or her one-year anniversary, bringing the pay to $89,764.

Additional compensation is available through the contract's education incentive program. For example, the salary for an officer with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice equates to $93,311 on his or her one-year anniversary.

The contract also includes tuition reimbursement.

"Our main goal from the beginning was to improve recruitment and retention, as reflected in our initial proposal and what we were able to achieve with this agreement," Assistant Town Administrator and Chief Negotiator Dawn Maselek said. "With this contract, we can increase starting pay for police officers and continue to offer a competitive benefit package."

Vernon police officers also receive a "defined benefit pension plan" that, after 25 years, entitles them to a monthly payment based on their top three base salary years. New employees in other town departments do not have defined benefit pensions, officials said.

The total cost of the new four-year contract over the current contract is approximately $968,800, officials said.

"This contract acknowledges the outstanding work and contributions made by our officers while also meeting our fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers," Town Administrator Michael Purcaro said.

Initially, town administration and the police union were not able to reach an agreement. The contract went to arbitration, and the town appealed an arbitrators' decision. The parties resumed negotiations as the appeal was pending in Superior Court.

Prior to the police contract, town administrators had reached contract settlements with five municipal employee unions without lawyers or "prolonged negotiations." The contracts were with water pollution control supervisors, police department civilian employees, directors of town departments, the town professionals employee union and the union representing public works, water pollution control, parks and recreation and animal control department employees.

"This contract keeps us competitive with other police departments and should greatly aid in our ongoing recruitment and retention efforts," Police Chief John Kelley said. "The Vernon Police Department is a great place to work and offers employees opportunities for advancement and a variety of specialty units in which to serve our community."

In a nutshell, Purcaro called the contract "mission accomplished."

"Our focus from the beginning has been on officer recruitment and retention," he said. "This contract achieves that primary goal which is shared by the union."

He also vowed to examine what caused the stalemate.

"From a town leadership and management standpoint, I will be reflecting on what has transpired over the past year-and-a-half to determine the root causes and address them accordingly — specifically on why this negotiation was so radically different than all of our other previous union negotiations during this period of time that were settled quickly, efficiently and amicably and that did not require costly attorneys, protracted negotiations, arbitration and ultimately the courts involvement," he said.