Naperville says it can't afford cop raises

Naperville can't afford the 9 percent pay raises an arbitrator awarded police officers for a three-year span, city officials said Thursday.

In a written statement, City Manager Doug Krieger said the state-mandated arbitration decsion handed down this week resulted in “wage increases beyond what we wanted to pay or believe we can reasonably afford.”

The city already faces a projected $5 million deficit for the fiscal year beginning May 1. It has reduced staffing in several areas during the past two years to balance its budget.

The arbitrator's decision settles negotiations that began last year between the city and Fraternal Order of Police Local 42.

The three-year contract includes annual wage increases of 3.3 percent for 2009-10 and 3 percent in 2010-11 and 2011-12, according to information released by the city. The pact is retroactive to May 1, 2009, and runs through April 30, 2012.

Krieger said the arbitration process did not “adequately consider the economic crisis that the State of Illinois and municipalities like ours are currently undergoing.”

In his statement, Krieger said the city repeatedly emphasized that police officers should be responsive to the city's declining revenues.

“Our police officers are second to none, but we simply don't have the financial resources to pay these wage increases to all the union police officers,” he said. “Given the weak economy, we are not in a position to raise taxes or implement new revenues to pay for the police raises.”

The new contract also calls for a 50 percent increase in police personnel health insurance premium contributions from 10 percent to 15 percent of the total premium cost.

Krieger said the increase in premiums brings police officers in line with the city's nonunion employees.

He said the city will continue to explore cost-cutting measures, including possible service reductions, to balance next year's budget.