Lincolnshire cops to get raises in new contract

The Lincolnshire village board on Monday will approve a three-year labor deal with the town’s rank-and-file police officers that calls for 2.75-percent raises the first year.

The proposed contract covers 18 officers below the rank of sergeant, Chief Peter Kinsey said. If approved, it will be effective May 1.

Raises also would be awarded in the next two years of the contract. Officers’ pay would increase 3 percent in 2013 and 3.25 percent in 2014, Kinsey said.

Additionally, the starting salary for a new police officer would increase to $58,690, up 2.75 percent from $57,119.

Village leaders wanted to make sure the officers’ salaries were competitive with those in other departments in the area, Kinsey said.

“We feel we’re right in the mix with them now,” he said.

The officers’ current contract also included annual salary increases, but the raises were smaller than those in the new pact, Kinsey said.

Contract negotiations started in February and were completed in three sessions, with the two sides quickly finding common ground, Kinsey said. He described the talks as “the most amicable experience I’ve ever had.”

The proposal is on the agenda for the board’s next meeting, which is set to start at 7 p.m. Monday at village hall. It’s included in the consent agenda, so public discussion on the matter is unlikely.