Evans police get 6 percent pay raise [The Buffalo News, N.Y.]

June 22--Police officers in Evans will see their pay go up 6 percent over the next five years, under a new contract approved by the town.

The five-year contract for the 22 Evans police officers in the union runs until the end of 2016 and provides no pay increase for this year or next year, union and town officials said.

Instead, the officers will receive a 1 1/2 percent increase in 2014, a 2 percent increase in 2015 and a 2 1/2 percent increase in 2016, officials added.

Union members will pay a higher deductible on their health insurance, which should save the town $75,000 to $85,000 a year, said Luke Fioretti, president of the Evans Police Benevolent Association.

"We feel it's fair for both sides," Fioretti said of the new contract. "We want to protect and take care of our members, but we understand the town is in a hole right now and we're trying to do our part."

The PBA ratified the contract on Tuesday, and the Town Board approved it on Wednesday.

The police union thought it had a deal worked out in December, but the Town Board held off on approving a new contract because of concerns about the town's finances and the huge debt it had incurred from the ongoing municipal water project.

Evans and PBA officials went back to the table and ironed out a new deal, Fioretti said.

The zero percent increases for the next two years helps provide the town some cushion while Evans grapples with the delays in the water project and some of the financial uncertainties surrounding it, said Supervisor Keith E. Dash.

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