A brief, nine-minute Normal Town Council meeting Monday night resulted in a new contract with the police union that calls for a pay raise over the next four years.
An item on the council’s omnibus agenda, the new contract was passed unanimously by council members who were present. Chemberly Harris and Scott Preston were not there for the vote, but Preston did join the council meeting toward its conclusion.
The contract with Police Benevolent and Protective Association Unit 22 calls for a 15% raise spanning four years, including a 6% hike in 2024, a 5% raise in April 2025 and 2% raises in 2026 and 2027.
The 2024 increase adds an additional $450,000 in spending to Normal’s 2024-2025 fiscal year budget.
Normal also has been awarded a state grant to help with officer retention, giving up to an extra $1,000 to each officer. With the contract’s approval, the residency limit for officers is now expanded to 60 miles from Normal, from the previous 25 miles. NPD staff also now have increased paid time off — they’re now allotted 88 hours instead of 72.
The Normal Police Department reports a staff of 86 sworn police officers, 11 full-time staff and a small number of full-time civilian staff.
In other business, the council:
- Moved forward with resurfacing at the Ironwood Park tennis and pickleball court, awarding a contract worth nearly $61,000 to All Weather Courts.
- Tabled authorization of support for the Small Business Development Center to a later date.
