At the close of the bargaining process, the FOP and the City agreed to a final offer, for a one-year agreement reflecting:

• A 2% across the board increase and a 2.5% merit step increase for eligible members of the bargaining unit. Two thirds of the 617 members are eligible to receive a merit step increase.
• An employer’s contractual share of health insurance premiums of 80%. As part of the total health premium, vision and prescription are included.

The only issue in dispute at the close of bargaining talks was the issue of binding arbitration of grievances.

Once the impasse was declared and the Fact Finder brought in, the FOP rejected most items it had previously agreed to and asked the Fact Finder to include items that had been dropped during the bargaining process and were not a part of any final offer presented to the City. The City does not feel this was a fair negotiating practice.

"In these economic times, the offer that the City made to the FOP is substantial, yet affordable for the organization," said City Manager George Kolb. "The City believes it continues to show our dedication to law enforcement and the public safety of our community."

The FOP has distributed information refuting the City’s position. The City wishes to address those items and provide additional information to the citizens of the community.

• Ranking with other cities: In a survey cited by the FOP, Wichita is shown as the 49th largest city with a ranking of 140 in terms of pay of the largest 200 cities with the cost of living factored in the survey. While Wichita is ranked 140th, four of the largest cities in the nation are ranked comparable to Wichita in pay:

Population Rank	Salary Rank
1. New York City	138
2. Los Angeles	134
5. Philadelphia	185
7. San Diego	157
49. Wichita	140

• Comparables to other Kansas Municipalities: The FOP is comparing Wichita to Kansas City, Kan., and Overland Park. Sales tax rates are currently lower in Wichita than the Kansas City area. Also property taxes paid are significantly higher in the Kansas City metro area, due to higher mill levys and higher costs of homes.

  However, representatives from the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department stated at the fact finding hearing that Kansas City, Kansas does not consider Wichita a comparable City for purposes for collective bargaining pertaining to their labor agreement.

• Average salaries: The average salary for members of the FOP bargaining unit, which includes Police Officers, Detectives, Sergeants, Station Clerks, Traffic Safety Officers, Warrant Officers, Crime Scene Investigators and Recruits, was approximately $42,000 in 2003. The average salary for all police officers is approximately $39,000.

• Achievements of the Department: The City of Wichita is extremely proud of the Police Department and their many accomplishments, which have resulted in a safer community. Awards commending those accomplishments, such as the Webber Seavey Award, also recognize the partnerships that exist with the citizens and the private sector to make those programs successful and effective.

• Economy: The City of Wichita was hard hit by the recent recession. Financial problems were compounded when the State of Kansas eliminated more than $6 million in recurring funding for the City in 2003. Signs of economic recovery are present in the local economy. However, with the loss of thousands of aviation jobs, it may take some time for City revenues to recover. Historically, in more favorable economic times, the City has provided very favorable wage increases. Presently, the City simply does not have the financial resources to meet the wage expectations of the FOP. The City continues to make investments in economic development to spur the recovery in the local economy.

• Cost of Fact Finder’s Report: The following chart outlines the cost of the Fact Finder’s recommendations for 2004 and 2005. The costs are in excess of any amount of funding included in the budget.

  	2004	2005
  GPA of 3.25% each year	412,940	1,021,036
  Out of Classification Pay	27,422	28,793
  Longevity Pay	217,860	220,380
  Education Pay	122,430	122,430
  FTO Pay	3,843	3,843
  Clothing Allowance	48,825	65,100
  Purchase Duty Weapon	4,000	4,000
  Vacation Accrual	26,288	27,602
  Total for 2004	$863,608
  Total for 2005		$1,493,184
  Total two year cost	$2,356,792

• The 2004 increase: The FOP is correct in its statement that a 3.25% increase in 2004 (instead of the budgeted 2% increase) would cost approximately $400,000. However, this figure does not include increases in longevity, education pay and other pays as recommended by the Fact Finder. These items, which the FOP also wants, bring the 2004 total to nearly $900,000 more than budgeted. These costs will reoccur annually. Extending the Fact Finder’s recommendations in 2004 and 2005 produces a two-year cost of $2.356 million. The City is still in negotiation with the union representing fire fighters and extending similar terms to the fire fighters would further increase the cost to the budget.

• Using alternative funds: The FOP continues to suggest the use of reserve funds, enterprise funds, special revenue funds or savings from deployed officers. Reserve funds are for emergency uses and not reoccurring budget line items (such as salaries). Enterprise funds and special revenue funds have restrictions that would prohibit their usage. The salary savings resulting from deployed officers are temporary and will be unavailable when those officers return. The Fact Finder’s report also stated, "restrictions clearly exist" regarding the fund transfers proposed by the FOP.

• In addition, the City has not allocated any funds to the proposed downtown arena, as suggested by the FOP, and funds used for economic development and AirTran are one-time expenditures as opposed to the recurring expenditure of salaries. These are investments that will help to stimulate economic recovery.

Investment in public safety: The City of Wichita has made numerous investments in law enforcement. The police helicopter was purchased through a combination of Federal grants matched with narcotic seizure funds. The Bomb and Meth vehicles were also purchased by the City through Federal grants. However, the overall operations of these specialty vehicles - including housing, maintenance, and training - are in the General Fund Budget. In addition, various types of other equipment has been purchased to enhance the public safety efforts of the Police Department while providing officers with the necessary resources to perform their duties in the safest manner possible. Additionally, the police force has been increased by 197 officers within the last 12 years.

"The City’s commitment to law enforcement remains strong," said Kolb. "However, during these economic times the City is not in the position to be as generous as it has been in the past. Officers have asked for a decent salary and a 4.5% increase, coupled with a 1% signing bonus for a total increase of 5.5% is, in the City’s opinion, a good pay increase. The City is open to continued dialogue with the FOP and remains steadfast in its offer up to the Aug. 31 hearing. It is the City’s hope that this issue can be resolved in a way that is agreeable to both organizations."

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