Champaign City Council Backs 2-Year Police Contract

Champaign's city council has reluctantly signed off on a new two-year contract with its police union.

Most council members supporting the average annual raise of one and three-quarters percent admitted the city couldn't afford it, while leaders are calling for $2-million in cuts. But concerns of the Fraternal Order of Police negotiating an even higher raise through an arbitrator resulted in a six-to-three vote. Council member Deb Frank Feinen said finances are a concern, but was willing to support the contract, saying the FOP met the city halfway.

"Part of what this contract tries to do is take into account where we are at today, and hope for some better times further into the contract," she said. "It's possible we won't have better times further into the contract, and I think we all have to go into this with our eyes open and understand it could mean layoffs or people without jobs." '

Champaign Mayor Jerry Schweighart backed the plan, saying unions in other communites are using arbitration to seek out two-to-three percent raises.

"If we decide to go that route on principal, we have to be ready to find some deeper cuts into the budget to amount to what it's going to cost us, and it's going to set the tone for the other unions that we're dealing with." he said.

But council member Marci Dodds said the city can't afford something that will ultimately lead to layoffs in a city forced to trim $2 million from its budget.

"I can't bring myself to vote for this," she said. "I know how much it is and I know the risk we're taking going to arbitration, if we go to arbitration. I just can't do it. Not this year. Not now."

Council member Tom Bruno voted the plan down, saying there's no guarantee the city would come out worse in arbitration. Aaron Ammons with C-U Citizens for Peace and Justice contends the city ignored his group's requests that the contract include a residency requirement for officers. It also wants drug testing for officers in the event someone is accidentally injured or killed, pointing to the 2008 fatal shooting of teenager Kiwane Carrington.

Bruno noted that residency used to be a requirement of officers, and says the city should provide incentives for the union to consider it again. Council member Michael LaDue said the drug test demand isn't unreasonable, suggesting the same could apply to employees that use heavy machinery that could result in accidental injury or death.