Urbana Council Unanimously Backs New Police Contract

The city of Urbana has a new three-year contract with its police union.

The contract with the Fraternal Order of Police provides raises of 1, 3, and 3 percent over the term of the deal, which is retroactive to July of 2010.

The council unanimously passed the agreement, but Alderman Brandon Bowersox called his yes vote a begrudging one that he's making because of state law, which requires binding arbitration.

Bowersox said the officers do a great job, but Urbana can't afford any raises right now. He said he fears any further ones would come from property taxes.

"It's disappointing, but our only choice is to move ahead with this, and to give this one unit of the city raises when others don't get raises, despite the fact that we can't afford it," Bowersox said.

The city started a 1 percent tax on packaged liquor, raised the hotel-motel tax from 5-to-6 percent, and it cut funding to Champaign County's Convention and Visitors Bureau in order to pay its police officers.

Urbana Police Chief Patrick Connolly said there was give and take on both sides of the three year contract, and the best outcome the union could have asked for.

"There was give and take on both sides," Connolly said. "The city was certainly in financial dire straits, and the city was very generous in recognizing there were certain needs that had to be met on the part of contractual issues, legal issues."

Mayor Laurel Prussing also touted the police department's recent efforts, citing a report of decreased crime in Southeast Urbana.