ASHLAND — Ashland City Council acted on a slew of legislation Tuesday that will lead to higher pay and improved perks among union and non-union employees.
Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to terms in three union contracts between police and fire divisions. Legislators also passed five ordinances that updated paid vacation and holiday pay eligibilities for city employees.
Officials hope the changes make working for the city — whether enforcing the law, fighting fires or picking up phones — more attractive and competitive with surrounding communities.
Union contracts
The Fraternal Order of Police contract deals with six clerks at the Ashland Police Division. The contract, effective Jan. 1, 2025 through Dec. 31, 2027, increases the position’s starting pay rate at $15.60 per hour.
Ashland Mayor Matt Miller said the starting pay rate increase should help keep the police department competitive with surrounding areas.
“We’ve raised the start rate so we can attract new people to these positions, because it’s been a struggle to fill spots here, at our fire department and police department,” Miller said.
The agreement also implemented a $2 per-hour raise to all six of the existing clerks’ wages and created a guaranteed incremental annual increases through 2027. This year, the clerks will get a 5-percent raise; in 2026 and 2027 it will be 4 percent.
Police officers and firefighters will also get wage hikes, according to the bargaining agreements between the city, the Ohio Patrolman’s Benevolent Association and the International Association of Firefighters Local 1386.
The agreements state police officers and firefighters will receive a 3-percent equity adjustment this year, which is made when employee salaries are low compared to other similar markets.
Officers will also receive a 4-percent wage hike this year to adjust for the cost of living, according to the agreement.
Wage hikes for police officers and firefighters, therefore, total 7 percent in 2025.
When it comes to 2026 and 2027, however, the city and the bargaining unit will “reopen” the contract in November to determine cost of living adjustments in those years.
Miller said that’s because the city wants to know if wage hikes will be feasible. The city’s income tax revenue collection in 2021 and 2022 was “significant,” he said, but leveled off a bit in 2023 and 2024.
“We’re all hoping we have a golden year this year but we won’t know until we get through the months ahead,” he said.
Police & fire authorized to hire more
One of the ordinances council passed Tuesday allowed both police and fire divisions to hire an additional three officers or firefighters.
The move authorizes the fire division to have 30 firefighters instead of the previously approved 27. It also authorizes the police division to have 24 police officers instead of the previously approved 21.
Fire chief Rick Anderson said he hopes to hire three additional firefighters this year. “We actually hope to make those hires within a couple months,” he said. Those hires would take the firefighter’s total staffing to 41.
Ashland Fire Division Staffing Levels
- 1 chief
- 10 officers
- 27 firefighters
- Total = 38
The three additional firefighters would bring the total staffing level to 41.
Ashland Police Division Staffing Levels
- 1 chief
- 1 captain
- 1 school resource officer
- 3 lieutenants
- 5 sergeants
- 21 police officers
- Total = 32
The three additional police officers would bring the total staffing level to 35.
Police chief Dave Lay said he, too, hopes to hire three police officers this year.
The mayor said the goal is the additional police officers and firefighters will help the agencies keep up with growth in the city and reduce the amount of overtime being paid.
“You understand the overtime both agencies are facing and you see the growth that is happening — and there are more calls in both divisions,” Miller said.
It’s unclear what historical data the mayor used to base his assertion that calls for the police division are up. Calls for service — including criminal, noncriminal and routine calls — are actually slightly down from 2023, according to police data.
In 2024, there were 17,141 calls for service. In 2023, there were 17,363, which represented a 3.4-percent decrease from 2022 numbers.
Miller was not immediately available to clarify.
As far as fire calls, there were 4,896 in 2024 — a nearly 1% increase from 2023 and around 6 percent from 2022 numbers.
Ashland Source filed a public records request for overtime figures from both divisions and awaits a response from the city’s finance office.
Another change to the city’s hiring practices now sets the daily rate of school crossing guards at $50. The daily rate used to be $21. Police recruits also now earn more through the police division. The new rate is $20 per hour.
Changes to non-union employees’ perks
Council also passed several ordinances related to wages for supervisors, administrative employees and unclassified administrative support staff.
Going forward, all non-union employees hired by the city will be eligible for two weeks of paid vacation. That perk used to only be available for employees who had worked a full year.
The city also made all new hires eligible to receive paid holidays upon being hired. They used to have to work for 30 days before being eligible.
“Most people are living pretty close to paycheck to paycheck,” Miller said. “Someone can argue that’s right or wrong, or good or poor management, but that is the reality. And so these issues do matter.”
The mayor said he hopes those changes will help in retaining employees and recruiting new ones.