COEUR d’ALENE — Newly minted Coeur d’Alene police officers can reach the department’s top pay scale after five years on the force. They will also receive a 2.5 percent annual cost of living increase in addition to a 1 percent general pay increase this year.

The pay bumps are the result of months of collective bargaining between the police association and Coeur d’Alene administrators. The City Council last week approved the negotiated contract, which is factored into the department’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year. The department’s proposed budged increased by $1 million, from $13.58 million to $14.59 million.

City Administrator Troy Tymesen pointed out to council members that bargaining resulted in pay increases for officers working graveyard $2.25 per hour: investigative assignment pay increased by 75 cents per hour: and officers assigned to the peak-hour power shift, usually from 3 to 8 p.m., will also see a 75-cent per hour pay raise.

The three-year contract means the city shouldn’t have to sit down again with the police union for extended negotiations for another three years.

Tymesen said the contract also resulted in officers paying more of the health care premium for their dependents.

“In this contract there was a significant change to the medical. It was talked about quite significantly,” Tymesen told council members. “They agreed to have an increase from 5 to 10 percent in dependent care … that’s a doubling.”

The contract also includes a military leave benefit in addition to the set cost of living increase that in the past has fluctuated between 2 and 3 percent.

The contract also decreases the time from nine years to five years that it takes officers to reach the top pay scale, and includes a pay bump for all officers across the board.

“Recognizing the fact it is a three-year contract, and the city has struggled with having a full complement of police officers, we have put 1 percent annual increase in for all sworn police officers in this contract,” Tymesen said.

The current entry level starting hourly wage for officers is $23.39, according to the city. Lateral applicants range from $24.56 to $28.43, depending on experience.

Mayor Steve Widmyer, who sat in on all the bargaining meetings, said the outcome is a solid agreement.

“It was a lot meetings; we went back and forth,” Widmyer said. “I think we have a good agreement for everyone involved.”

The latest proposed police department budget will jump by over $1 million over last year’s budget with the greatest increases coming in wages (approximately $500,000), holiday pay ($26,000), PERSI retirement ($77,000), a $64,000 increase for health care, a proposed increase of $21,000 for fuel, an increase of $23,000 for software maintenance, a $158,500 increase radar and radios and a $20,000 increase in patrol cars and equipment, according to the latest department budget proposal.

Grants that will be received to pay for items such as radios are included as expenditures in the budget.