Police in Fairfield Township have agreed to forego pay raises for a year, or possibly longer.
Officers are helping to ease the township’s financial burdens with this concession. The agreement actually represents a pay cut for them, since the police union agreed to contribute 5% to healthcare costs earlier.
Shannon Kartkemeyer, township trustee, says she has a lot of respect for the police for agreeing to the request. She calls the agreement a “unifying event” for Fairfield Township, and believes it shows the officers’ intent to build a better community.
The police chief, Matt Fruchey, agrees, observing that police consented readily to the idea, and negotiations did not take long, though there is a provision for raises to be considered in 2016 and 2017. The last time police had a raise was in 2012, when they got 3%. Fruchey says he is proud of all the officers, who have put the township ahead of their own income. He adds that it shows how much they care about the community.
The interim township administrator, Ken Geis, called the agreement a “sort of historic event”, and one that he has rarely seen in years of work in the field.
Township officials might consider working with a banner printer on a sign to post at the police department, expressing their gratitude for the officers’ cooperation.
