PERRYSBURG – Union negotiations were again a focus Tuesday night as
council voted to accept a fact finder’s recommendations regarding
contractual wage re-openers for two of the city’s police bargaining
units, and reject the recommendations regarding a third.
The votes on the issues followed an executive session of more than 30
minutes to discuss personnel matters as well as litigation.
The administration had recommended at the Feb. 24 meeting of council’s
Personnel Committee that the fact finder’s report for the Sergeants’ and
Patrol Officers’ Bargaining units be accepted, but that the
recommendations concerning the Communications Officers/Animal
Control/Records Bargaining unit be rejected.
According to the fact finder’s report, the issue was heard Jan. 13. The fact finder had been appointed on
Oct. 14.
The fact finder recommended a 2 percent pay increase for each of the
units. According to the fact finder’s report, the Ohio Patrolman’s
Benevolent Association had proposed a 2.75 percent wage increase for
members of each bargaining unit, and the city had proposed that there
“should be no additional wage increases during the term of the existing
contracts,” but that “bargaining unit employees will be permitted to
progress in the pay matrices and receive step increases as set forth
therein.”
The ordinances concerning the acceptance of the recommendations
Sergeants’ and Patrol Officers’ units passed with a single no vote
coming from councilman Mike Olmstead. The ordinance rejecting the
recommendations for the third unit passed unanimously.
City Administrator John Alexander said Wednesday he could not comment on
the extra-jurisdictional matter that prompted the rejection of the
recommendations for the Communications Officers’ unit, and that the
matter would be going back to bargaining.
Following the votes, Personnel Committee chair Maria Ermie said that the
fact finder inserted an issue that was outside of the wage reopener
concerning the Communications Officers’ unit, and she accepted the
administration’s recommendation for rejection.
Ermie also said that she believes it was right to accept the increase
for the other two units, noting that the recommendations did not have a
“glitch” in it beyond the scope of what was to be discussed. She said
that in the past, council has tried to rectify some of the low salaries
that the patrolmen and sergeants have been receiving and this is one way
of doing so.
Councilman Tim McCarthy said that, in looking at salaries provided by
comparable Toledo suburban communities, the data showed that for
patrolmen and command, the entry and top rates fell nearer the bottom
than the top in Perrysburg. The fact finder’s report notes that patrol
officers have a starting wage of $45,427, less than that in Perrysburg
Township, the city of Sylvania, Sylvania Township, Oregon, and Bowling
Green. In a position paper from the city regarding the sergeant’s unit,
the starting salary is listed at $61,817.60, and the top at $68,224.
McCarthy said that a maddening part of the issue is that the fact finder
stated that the city is in a relatively good financial posture relative
to many others. He said that the collective bargaining process does not
allow for cities to set aside funds for contingencies.
Councilman Mike Olmstead, following a lengthy set of remarks grounding
his views, noted that because of ORC 4117, the Ohio law governing
collective bargaining for public employees, the city is bound to an
unaccountable bureaucrat whose opinion will have higher standing than
the opinion of the elected representatives of the city. Stating that the
system is broken, he said that he could not participate in
semi-approving the system. Olmstead additionally noted his support for
Ohio Senate Bill 5, which, according to the Associated Press, would
“restrict the bargaining rights of public workers,” saying he feels it
will empower taxpayers.
Councilman Tom Mackin offered his thoughts that council would agree with
him that the members of the bargaining units are well-qualified by the
training they have been given and that they have qualified, dedicated,
and talented employees. The Police Division members do their jobs each
day in a professional manner, he said. The matters voted on and the pay
offered to the employees is money well spent to pay for the services
they provide.
Ermie additionally clarified that the members of council are charged
with working within a system that they feel doesn’t work and they feel
the citizens voted them into office to make decisions on their behalf,
the budget being a major one of these.
Among other matters, council:
• Heard a report from Carol Russell, co-president of the Perrysburg
League of Women Voters, recommending that an ad hoc committee be formed
to embark on a study concerning improving public transportation and
increasing TARTA ridership in the city. The matter is to be put on the
agenda of the upcoming Health, Sanitation and Public Utilities Committee
meeting.
• Passed a resolution recognizing Street Operations Supervisor Lloyd Swanson for his 31 years of service.

• Approved the appointments of Rick Toepfer as deputy director of
streets for the Division of Public Service, and Steven Bronder as tax
commissioner.
• Approved a zoning change from residential to institutional for the Carranor Hunt and Polo Club, located
at 502 E. Second St.