Lansford Borough police have a new four-year contract which calls for an average 4.4% wage increase in each year.

Borough police had been working without a contract since the beginning of the year, and the new pact, which runs through the end of 2026, was the result of binding arbitration.

Council President Bruce Markovich said the police union asked for wage increases of 20%, and the arbitrator awarded raises of 5% in the first year, and 4.25% in each of the subsequent years.

“The award which has been agreed upon by the (Fraternal Order of Police) attorney Mike Egan and our attorney Mike Miller is based on the borough’s ability to sustain wages based upon our tax structure,” he said.

The arbitrator doesn’t look at salaries in surrounding communities, budget surpluses or one-time income increases, because that type of income is not sustainable, Markovich said.

The hourly rate will go from $28.52 to $29.95 for a police officer, and $29.76 to $31.25 for sergeant in the first year of the contract, 2023. The hourly rate will increase to $33.93 for police officers and $35.40 for sergeant in the final year of the contract.

The award also addresses contributions toward health care for the officer and dependents. Contributions will be $25 a month for the officer, and $50 a month for the officer and dependents in the first year, and increase each year. Contributions will be $40 a month for the officer and $100 a month for officer and dependents in the last year.

“Their health care contributions are now the same as the borough crews,” Markovich said.

The new pact also eliminates post-retirement health care for officers hired after Jan. 1, 2025, which will save the borough $761,280, he said. The current contract calls for post-retirement health care for the officer and spouse for five years, as long as not provided through another employer or the benefit is not available at no cost to the spouse by other means.

The police chief is excluded from the contract, and language giving officers benefits provided to the chief that exceed those provided in the contract was removed in the new pact.

Also eliminated was compensatory time for officers, effective Jan. 1. 2024, and officers must use accrued time by the end of next year. Any remaining time will be included in final pay of 2024.

“Use of comp time is the second most costly benefit behind health care,” Markovich said.

He explained that there were no provisions in the contract governing use of comp time, which often led to last minute schedule changes and another officer being paid overtime to cover another’s comp time.

Plus, an officer who accumulates comp time at $30 an hour this year, and holds the time for a year or more, is then paid at his or her current rate, which is higher than when the time was accrued, Markovich said.

FOP trustee and police union representative Timothy Wuttke said he had no comment on the award, as he had not yet seen it.

The arbitration award was signed Nov. 3, and the borough received a copy on Nov. 6.